The Hugoniot Elastic Limit and impact impedance interface countermeasures are all set! Part 2

Vasa continued to dodge rapidly, but the battle rifle of Unit 5 kept its aim precise.

「A damage race, huh? Well, I don’t plan on losing.」

This time, the projectile took off part of his shoulder armor. Each hit was heavy. Even a tank’s armor would be peeled away after just a few more shots.

「This is getting dangerous.」

Vasa was starting to feel frustrated. His weaponry was supposed to be top-tier in both firepower and rate of fire, yet he was struggling to keep up.

The enemy’s attacks exceeded his in every way. The destructive power of a single strike was on a whole different level, and the rate of fire wasn’t lacking either. If he tried to maintain distance, he’d be shot down for sure.

Closing the gap was his only option—or so he thought, until he quickly realized that was the trap.

「So that’s it! You’ve planned this well.」

Vasa finally understood his opponent’s intentions, but there was no other choice. He accelerated, attempting to close the distance.

But Unit 5 had already moved. It switched weapons and entered a drawn-sword stance.

「Timing the start of the enemy’s movement is critical, huh?」

Whenever he advanced to close the gap, Unit 5 advanced as well. Hit-and-run tactics were impossible against an enemy like this, Unit 5’s performance allowed it to close the distance between them in just a moment.

「Another saya no uchi!」

The trajectory of the Unit 5 blade was unreadable. Vasa’s preferred martial art, Sistema, was designed to entangle and counter based on his opponent’s attack, it wasn’t well-suited for this kind of fighting style.

Should I aim for the arm?

Vasa drew his shashka, creating a cone of reach around him in preparation for the next exchange.

「Where are you defending?」

Kou knew that once inside the cone of reach, he would be entangled and trapped. Then…

「Tch!」

Unit 5’s blade, the Kogetsu, was drawn and slashed down from a diagonal overhead angle—a kesagiri strike. Vasa had been wary of a horizontal slash or thrust to his torso, but the attack came from his blind spot.

In an instant, the top half of his Silhouette’s head was severed, and the right shoulder, along with the arm, was sliced clean off. The blade had expertly cut through the armored muscle joint with surgical precision.

With a harsh metallic clatter, the Bogatyri’s severed headpiece and right chest fell to the ground. The auxiliary thrusters were destroyed, and the main thrusters were severely damaged. Its mobility had been severely crippled.

「Silhouettes equipped with armored muscles are designed so the arm and chest modules have to be swapped entirely… so you aimed for that point.」

It was an idea that only a Development Engineer—someone deeply familiar with the mechanics of Silhouette construction could conceive.

「…I designed that feature myself. My apologies.」

When he heard Kou’s words, Vasa’s expression stiffened.

Despite his heavily damaged thrusters, Vasa pushed them to full output, tracing a large arc as he moved towards the exit. Even in his weakened state, he kept moving without a single pause—showing his skill and expertise.

「I’ve been completely defeated.」

Rather than being upset, he felt a deep sense of satisfaction from learning more about the inner workings of the Silhouette’s structure. For the first time since arriving on this planet, he laughed heartily, genuinely enjoying the moment.

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

「May I ask for an explanation? Why did you design the new system to swap out the entire chest section along with the arms, rather than just the arms themselves? I’ve already revealed the secret behind the Bogatyri’s transformation mechanism. You could at least share this much, right?」

There was no need to keep it hidden. In terms of classified information, the technology for equipping armored muscle on a transformable Silhouette was far more significant.

「If you think about the human body, the arms and back are connected by muscles, right? If the arms and back were independent, the armored muscles would be pointless.」

「The deltoid, trapezius, and latissimus dorsi, correct? I see. That makes sense.」

The design maintained the compatibility of the Silhouette’s components while faithfully reproducing the muscles of the shoulders and arms. It was a logical choice. In the martial art Systema, posture, movement, and breathing are essential. Proper breathing optimizes the efficiency of muscle use.

「Silhouettes are linked to humanity’s potential. Silhouettes don’t require human organs, but I believe it’s important to keep a similar structure.」

「I agree with that perspective. Your potential as a Development Engineer is tied to your skills as a swordsman, and those who support you amplify that strength. That is your true power.」

「Exactly. That’s why I can’t submit to your side. I was saved by Asia when she was a prisoner, and now even a small girl is serving as an Admiral for my sake. I can only feel frustrated at my powerlessness.」

「Admiral Aimer, right? The girl who confronted the might of the Stones directly and won. She’s the first competent commander I’ve encountered since arriving on this planet.」

「I never wanted her to become a commander. I also never wanted Asia to be involved in producing weapons.」

「It was their choice, wasn’t it? It doesn’t seem like you’re forcing them. You shouldn’t disregard their goodwill.」

「I know, but…」

Kou trailed off, unsure of how to respond. He hadn’t expected Vasa to understand his situation.

Kou prepare yourself for a long lecture, from both of us.

Kou didn’t realize at that moment that Asia’s Aimer’s eyes were giving a reprimanding look from behind him.

「That weapon of yours, too. It was made by that Wildcat who was with Fairy Blue, right?」

「Yeah, I’ve got two goddesses of weaponry by my side. She is one of them, the other is a master gunsmith. Impressive, huh?」

As Kou spoke, his pride was evident. He wanted to boast, especially to someone who could understand. What he failed to notice, however, was that Aimer’s eyes had narrowed even further.

Vasa nodded in acknowledgment. He could recognize the quality of the weapon. He couldn’t help but think how much easier he would accomplish his objectives if he had such capable assistants. He was genuinely feeling jealous.

「A remarkable weapon. It’s clear that its development is focused on compensating for your weaknesses, just like the AK2. But that sword—it’s different, isn’t it?」

The AK2 had become the standard weapon for the Metal Iris, and Vasa was well aware of that.

「This sword was crafted by a master who’s been on this planet since ancient times.」

「So you are saying it’s not just your own strength, huh? Did you learn bricolage from this individual?」

「I learned bricolage from a certain strict goddess—Spartan, really. It’s thanks to her that someone like me, with no real knowledge of engineering, can manage to do it.」

「A Spartan goddess… That must be Astraea. She has always been known as the cold and calculating bearer of the scales.」

「She’s strict but a bit of a softie at heart—a cute goddess, really. Though she does scold me every time I make a self-propelled mine.」

Kou laughed a little embarrassed and Vasa also smirked, recalling the spinning, spindle-like devices that had given the Argoforce so many headaches. They were certainly no trivial weapons. Behind Kou, Asia’s Aimer was debating with herself whether she should tell Astraea about this conversation or not.

「So those self-propelled mines were your creation after all. I had my suspicions, but now one mystery is solved.」

「It wasn’t just me. The ones I made were only used in battles against the Murders.」

「What?! There have been countless self-propelled mines since the Orbital Elevator battle. Are you telling me there’s someone else making those ridiculous weapons?」

「There is.」

「Unbelievable… Those must have been built by the B.A.S. then.」

Vasa realized a truth he wished he hadn’t. One eccentric inventor was bad enough, but the idea that there were at least two of them meant the possibility of even more outlandish weapons was very real.

「I’d like nothing more than to take you back with me, but right now, I’m the loser. I’ll withdraw for now. I have a feeling we’ll meet again soon.」

「I’d prefer if you didn’t come back at all.」

「If we continue this battle you will end up captured. Two Corvus are headed this way. I’m in no condition to fight, but is still three against one, your odds aren’t great.」

「Too bad for you. Those Corvus are being intercepted by Takaba Hyoue and another swordsman of equal skill. This is where we say goodbye.」

「We’ll see about that. The results will be known soon enough. Until we meet again.」

Vasa’s Bogatyr began his retreat from the deepest chamber. Kou had no desire to pursue the half-destroyed Silhouette. Vasa had already accepted his defeat.

「Vasa’s retreat confirmed. He’s heading for the exit.」

When Asia’s Aimer confirmed Vasa’s retreat, Kou let out a deep sigh and slumped in his seat, completely drained.

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