Union Between Man and Machine Part 1
「Trying to gain distance and turn this into a shooting match, huh?」
Castor was well aware of the power of the D-Rifle. The Lanius had moved in a wide arc while retreating. Though still within the horizon, the distance had extended to over two kilometers. Even with a Silhouette closing the gap to bring their swords within range would be no easy task.
「Are you joking? I’ll defeat you with my sword. What better than a sword to cut down a paltry imitation?」
Unit 5’s hand rested on the sheath of its blade, poised for a quick draw. It didn’t seem like a bluff.
「Closing the distance to draw the sword? I thought you were more pragmatic than that.」
Castor felt disappointed, he was now certain that Shuuji had overestimated Kou. However, this worked in Castor’s favor. Since he couldn’t hope to win in pure swordsmanship, it seemed Kou had decided to gamble everything on his iai-draw technique, something he excelled at. But even in iai, Shuuji’s skill surpassed Kou’s.
「In the end, you are throwing caution to the wind, and falling back on iai. Drawing the blade adds an extra motion—an extra step. Meanwhile, all I need to do is deliver a downward strike at top speed.」
「We’ll see.」
Corvus’s strike speed, powered by its armored muscles, was unmatched among all the Silhouettes currently operating in Asia. It was likely even faster than those from the era of the Interplanetary War. The only thing that could rival it might be its original the Hrafnagud. Even then…
「Here I come.」
Unit 5 accelerated.
Castor frowned at its posture. Something about it seemed off.
Kou’s mind, however, wandered elsewhere—back to a distant memory.
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It was a tranquil spring day, Kou was by the riverbank, having coincidentally bumped into his iai master after work. The soft breeze carried the scent of blooming flowers, and countless swallows darted gracefully across the sky.
「You said you wanted to show me something?」
「A technique called Hien Gaeshi. I figured it’d be the kind of thing you’d enjoy.」
Kou couldn’t help but chuckle. It was true—he had a soft spot for flashy names. But while the names of techniques often were very flashy, the actual practice of iai was anything but glamorous—repetitive drills and precise movements formed its core.
「The famous Tsubame Gaeshi technique, made legendary by Sasaki Kojiro. Different schools have their own interpretations. Some call it Tsubame Mawashi. The original technique itself is said to be derived from Torakiri Gatou or Isshin Ittou. In our school, we call it Hien Gaeshi—the Swallow Reversal.」
Kou nodded. He had already been learning the Hien Gaeshi.
「The names of sword techniques may be the same, but the methods can be entirely different. Happens all the time—names like Tsukikage, Murakumo, or Yaegaki. People seem to love those kinds of names.」
Kou’s master said with a wry smile. Despite his advanced age, the master had a warm and approachable demeanor that made him easy to talk to.
「Several techniques have disappeared over time, mainly because they’re deemed useless for the ranking exams. But since you’re not interested in ranks, this works out perfectly for you.」
It was true—Kou had no interest in pursuing ranks or titles.
「Well then, let me show you. This is my version of Hien Gaeshi.」
The small-framed master lowered his stance even further, shrinking almost to the ground. His movements seemed as if he were preparing to dive towards a swallow that was fluttering nearby.
The startled swallow suddenly shot upward, disappearing into the sky. For a moment, it looked as though the master had fallen flat on the ground. Kou, alarmed, rushed forward, thinking he had stumbled.
But the master stood up, an ecstatic expression on his face.
「See?」
In his hand was the swallow.
「Wh-what… that’s…」
Kou was stunned. What he had witnessed went far beyond a mere trick or feat of skill.
The master quickly released the swallow, allowing it to fly away unharmed.
「Haha, I wasn’t sure I could pull it off. You see…」
When the mechanics of the technique were explained to Kou, he immediately thought it was impossible.
There might be no limits to the techniques themselves, but there were very real limits to what a human could achieve.
「In the end, this is just an imitation. No normal human can do the ideal version of this technique. Maybe if a human had a mechanical body, it’d be possible.」
Those words, spoken as a joke, remained etched in Kou’s memory to this day.
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Now, Kou’s posture mirrored that very memory—a posture that bordered on grotesque.
Leaning forward drastically, Kou kept his hand on the sheath of his blade. His stance was extreme, his body twisted unnaturally, with his right foot slightly forward and his knee bent as though half-kneeling. As he accelerated, the toe of his right foot dragged across the ground, carving lines into the surface.
Meanwhile, his left leg stretched backward, its tip barely touching the ground, sparks flaring as it scraped against the terrain. Despite the unorthodox position, his grip on the hilt remained steady, signaling his readiness to draw the blade at any moment.
「What’s with that low stance?」
It was obvious this wasn’t just standard iai. The piercing glare from Unit 5’s cameras locked onto the Corvus with unrelenting focus. Much like what had happened earlier, its low stance made it an exceptionally difficult target to strike cleanly.
「Hmph. He’s ramping up his acceleration.」
The initial flight had already been swift, but now it was clear Kou had shifted to a posture optimized for speed. The thrusters powered by the rotational detonation engine were gradually increasing output.
Initially, Kou had been using only the thrusters on his legs to fly. Now, the thrusters on his back had also engaged, propelling him at speeds around 900 kilometers per hour.
「One more acceleration phase is coming.」
As expected, the gap between them closed rapidly. Kou’s unnatural posture also began to shift. His upper body extended forward, leveling almost horizontally, as though he were skimming the ground itself. His balance now relied entirely on the power of his lower limbs.
Castor observed Kou’s trajectory carefully, calculating his next move.
Ordinarily, a swordsman in such a stance would aim for a shin slash—a strategy despised by many in the field of swordsmanship. While undeniably effective, it was considered dishonorable and had even led to issues in the evolution of modern kendo during the Meiji era due to its overuse by some practitioners.
If you know a shin slash is coming, countering it is simple: leap into the air to cut your opponent in half, kick them away, or strike upward from a low guard.
But this wasn’t Kou’s style. While he favored unorthodox tactics, he despised strategies that felt dishonorable or left a lingering sense of shame. That ruled out the shin slash.
From that low stance, the possible sword trajectories were limited. A horizontal slash, a diagonal kesagiri, or perhaps a body slam to disrupt the opponent’s posture—all were techniques used in iai. Maybe a high-speed charge to crash through defenses? Or, could it be that Kou would abandon his ideals for a shin slash to secure victory? The acceleration had now reached 1,100 kilometers per hour—still subsonic for ground combat.
「Even more acceleration, huh!」
Castor shouted, exhilarated. As he had predicted, Unit 5 did not slow down to target the flanks or rear. Instead, it pushed forward, increasing speed. This meant Kou was committed to a frontal clash.
In response, a straightforward head-on strike would suffice. Castor only needed to match the timing. He prepared to cleave through his opponent entirely, even if it meant slicing through the reactor and power pack. A slash like that might also destroy the MCS with Kou inside, but he had made up his mind, if Kou died that was his own fault.
Castor pressed the button on the Corvus’ control lever, preparing for the strike. Corvus grounded itself, stepping forward to stabilize its stance, raising its blade high—poised to time the swing perfectly.
But in the next instant, Unit 5 was already in front of him.
The thrusters on its back hadn’t been fully engaged before. Now, at maximum output, they had launched Kou past 1,500 kilometers per hour. The velocity had undeniably entered the supersonic range.
Amid the staggering acceleration, Unit 5 stepped in. Kou, despite operating at supersonic speeds, maintained precise control over his machine.
Castor didn’t blink, his focus unwavering. He caught a fleeting glimpse of Unit 5 planting its pivot foot forward, transitioning into a drawing stance, its upper body stretching forward like a bird taking flight. For an instant, it seemed as though Kou’s machine had spread wings to soar.
「What…?」
A flash of light streaked past. Unit 5 stood before him, blade already drawn and fully swung.
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