Gore Specialist
「Kurose. You take care of the Hydra. All units of the Type-0 Squad, support Garuda.」
Without hesitation, Kinukawa once again ordered Kurose to destroy the Teras mothership.
「Me again?!」
「You should be used to it by now.」
「Come on, give me a break from the gore duty.」
Kurose groaned, clearly fed up. The sheer grotesqueness of it all was enough to feel like it might taint his very psyche.
「Look on the bright side—there’s only enemies all around, so you can go all out and spray bullets freely.」
Haino flashed a fearless grin. He actually enjoyed situations where he could take down enemies without restraint.
「Woof!」
Hayataro barked.
「Gaou?」
Haino a wolf-type Familia himself, responded. Since they were both canines, some level of communication was possible between them.
「Woof woof!」
「Wo-o-o-ooh!」
Haino let out a loud howl.
「What’s wrong?」
Kurose noticed Haino’s unusual excitement.
「I’m transforming the Dragon Slayer into the Analyze Armor. I’m coming with you tough! You’ll need a translator, right?」
「Did something happen?!」
「Yeah. Hayataro says he’s joining the fight! Looks like he’s shifting into combat mode as we speak! We can’t afford to fall behind!」
Sure enough, the white mountain dog began to transform.
Its silhouette shifted into that of a massive quadruped, now resembling a metallic canine weapon. This had to be Hayataro’s combat form.
「What the hell?! Oh, fine. We’re transforming too!」
The Dragon Slayer, piloted by both Kurose and Haino, was composed of the Silhouette Aramasa and the fighter Akors.
By transforming the Dragon Slayer into the Analyze Armor, it would take on the form of a heavily armed Silhouette, enhancing their close quarters combat for the battle ahead.
「Hayataro wants us to ride on his back!」
「Alright, let’s go!」
Just like how Unit 5 fought while riding a cat, Kurose was now able to fight atop a dog—Hayataro. With Haino acting as an interpreter, there were no longer any communication barriers.
This setup made the Dragon Slayer practically unstoppable.
「That’s not fair, Kurose! Let me ride too!」
Kinukawa, realizing he’d missed the rare opportunity to fight while riding Hayataro, looked like he was about to grind his teeth in frustration.
「Tough luck, Kinukawa-san! No time for that now!」
Kurose seized the moment to gloat, holding onto a bit of resentment from being assigned the gore specialist role earlier.
「Damn you, Kurose!」
Kinukawa was genuinely frustrated, his chance to ride Hayataro now completely stolen from him.
With that, the Dragon Slayer mounted Hayataro.
「Whoa!」
The mechanical components on Hayataro’s back activated, pulling in Aramasa’s legs.
「This is another Mythology Fusion, huh?!」
「Hayataro is a Mythology Weapon designed to link with a Silhouette. A natural evolution for canine species that developed alongside humanity!」
Haino explained as the transformation completed.
「We’ve got the mobility of a Quattro Silhouette combined with Dragon Slayer’s firepower. That Hydra doesn’t stand a chance!」
「Yeah! Let’s go, Hayataro!」
「Woof!」
One human and two canines, united as a single force, charged toward the massive Hydra.
Behind them, Cu Siths and Type-0s provided cover support.
◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
「Everyone… Sorry for the delay.」
Libya, having ensured the safety of the civilians, finally returned to the Astraea, offering an apology.
「And… what the hell is this chaos?」
An army of massive dogs, cats, biplanes, and Panjandrums—all charging into grotesque enemy forces.
Among them was a weapon she recognized from the Trireme Fleet, but it had now fused its upper half with the torso of a canine weapon.
There was no other way to describe this battlefield—pure chaos.
For this expedition, the Trireme Fleet had primarily deployed Assault Silhouettes and Shapeshifters. While they were engaged in battle, their main role was defensive operations at key locations.
「This situation is entirely of your own making.」
「Ugh…」
Even Libya had to admit it was an uncomfortable truth.
「Do you have any idea why even mythological fiction has been used as their model?」
「I thought… it might encourage biodiversity expansion…」
Apparently, she did have an idea.
「Look! Even Paleozoic creatures and deep-sea lifeforms are flying through the sky now?!」
Asia, unable to hold back, stepped in with a well-earned complaint.
「The root of the problem does lie with Typhon’s interference. However, you’ve expanded the mythological and legendary database far beyond what should have been referenced.」
「That was to outmaneuver the Stones!」
Libya hastily defended herself.
「…There is a Panjandrum fused with a cat.」
「Wait, what?!」
Displayed on the screen was the Madou Kasha, roaring as it charged. The howling Kasha was slamming headfirst into the Kakodaimons while the riding it was meowing while manipulating fire and fighting alongside it.
Libya was speechless. This went beyond anything she had ever imagined.
「T-There’s no way…!」
At the very least, nothing in the mythologies or fantasy creatures she was familiar with described this abomination.
「One more thing. Look at this.」
The screen switched to reveal a massive, indescribable amphibian humanoid—and an entire horde of them.
Surrounding them were countless grotesque Kakodaimons, undoubtedly warped by their presence.
It was a nightmare army, a sight that made one instinctively want to look away.
「This is the result of indiscriminate legend-gathering.」
「…I’ll reflect on this.」
Libya finally forced out the words.
「Good.」
Satisfied, Astraea moved on to the main issue.
「We will now commence simultaneous operations: Kou and Bastet will engage Fenrir, while the Dragon Slayer and Hayataro will take on Hydra. Seth has a biological form designed for aerial combat so it has superior mobility in the air. The Trireme Fleet will be outmatched. Therefore, we will move to support Garuda and Agathodaimons.」
「Wouldn’t it be better to concentrate our forces?」
Eri posed the question to Astraea.
「This battle does not follow conventional warfare principles. The Eidolons who have chosen to fight alongside us won’t necessarily respond well to forced coordination. Trying to impose strict command might be counterproductive.」
「I agree, Astraea. I’d rather keep the Cait Sith and the Kasha focused on taking down Fenrir… but—」
「What’s wrong?」
「The temperature is dropping rapidly! Unit 5 is vacuum-proof, so we’re fine, but the cats…!」
「Calm down, Kou. They are not cats.」
「…Right. I forgot.」
Kou, who had been unconsciously treating them exactly like cats, snapped back to reality.
「My bad, Astraea.」
「It’s understandable—their appearances and actions are too similar to cats. But still… to think Fenrir can manipulate the weather itself.」
Though the effect was localized, the area surrounding Fenrir had been transformed into a bitterly cold wasteland.
「Damn it. Those things are thriving in this environment, but we’re not.」
Fenrir’s subordinates, the Hati, were completely unaffected. Being Teras, their metallic bodies only added to their menacing appearance. In fact, they almost resembled Siberian Huskies in an eerie way.
Meanwhile, the Cait Sith were struggling. The smaller ones, likely weaker individuals, had huddled together for warmth, curled up in tight clusters.
「…What do we do?」
Kou had a bad feeling—this battlefield favored the enemy. The cold was going to severely limit their fighting capability.
AN:
Hayataro transforms from a fluffy mountain dog into a mechanical canine. Kind of reminiscent of old-school robot dog anime that could transform into various vehicles.
Unlike the feline Eidolons, canine-types don’t speak, but they’re designed for perfect combat coordination with Silhouettes.
Kurose finally gets his moment! But next time, it’s Kou’s turn!
Also… Kinukawa, that was kinda cruel! Libya, you better reflect on your actions!
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