Eradicating Corpse Eaters was a grueling task.
There were many technologies designed to counter them, but their reproductive rate was simply too high. Given their nature of hijacking the deceased, by the time they were discovered, it was usually too late. Often, entire planets had already been overrun.
Saint Tatiana maintained the barriers, but the territory where the Corpse Eaters lurked was unimaginably vast. She had no choice but to prioritize placing those barriers on the most densely populated planets. Furthermore, the barriers relied on an unknown technology that, to this day, only Saint Tatiana could perform.
Lately, even Anti-Ghoul Drugs had begun to lose their efficacy. The species had acquired resistance due to their short lifespans and incredibly rapid generation cycles. While our victory was certain on a long enough timeline, the path to that conclusion remained far, far out of reach.
In the midst of those grim prospects, we came under attack. It seemed the enemy still possessed a functional fighting force.
"We're taking fire from battleships with Pirate Guild registration!"
Uta and I rushed to the Humanoid Fighter's boarding entrance. My machine was Test Unit 28, a craft that integrated new technologies into a Standard Machine. While it utilized components from ancient ruins, its sensors and control software were standard-issue. Its specs had been intentionally suppressed. It was a Two-seater Type designed for long-range attacks, with Uta handling the fire control.
To begin with, the latest state-of-the-art machines could only be mastered by King Leo Kamishiro and a select few of his companions. Their response speeds and maximum velocities sat at the very edge of human perception—or more accurately, they exceeded it. I found it hard to believe the King operated those things manually and entirely on his own.
"Captain, did you make sure to bring your handkerchief and tissues?" Uta asked.
"What are you, my mother?!"
"Ahahahaha!"
We climbed into the cockpit, and I unlocked the systems via authentication.
"Army Lieutenant Leo. Authentication confirmed. Hello! I'm your Assistant Program-chan~" the AI greeted us.
"Read the mission briefing materials," I commanded.
"Understood! Let's see... I see, I see. Roger that. Uta-chan, missiles and everything else are all set!"
"Gotcha. Thanks for the hard work, Ai-chan~" Uta replied.
Calling the AI "Ai-chan" was so simplistic it was almost impressive.
Status reports began streaming in from the rest of the unit.
"Leo Platoon, fighter boarding complete. Ready for launch."
Many of the pilots in my squad flew ordinary fighters manufactured by the Latania Nation. That was the natural result of doing so much local hiring; those were the most common machines on the market, after all.
"Roger. Go on ahead. I'll follow right after you," I said.
I was the rearguard anyway, and prepping a Humanoid Fighter always took a bit more time.
We launched. A fleet of destroyers flying pirate flags appeared on the tactical display.
"Have we hailed them?"
"No response. We have authorization to shoot down any Pirate Guild—currently Amada Security—vessels."
The Pirate Guild had been dismantled and partitioned into different divisions. Their nightlife establishments had been merged into the Isono Group, while the Pirate Division had been absorbed by Amada Security to handle route protection. Regardless, the Pirate Guild was still treated as a small-nation-class entity. Since the order to engage had come from the guild itself, there was no problem.
With the obligatory confirmation for the incident report finished, I gave the order.
"Attack."
The squad members began their assault in their fighters. The enemy consisted of a fleet of small destroyers—roughly twenty of them. The fighters' missiles alone would likely be enough to handle this, but I joined the fray as well. I had to work hard enough to earn Uta’s yakiniku, after all.
"Captain, I'm hungry..."
"Suffer through it with a nutrition bar!" I barked.
I honestly wondered how she could think about eating in the middle of a battle. My own stomach had been tied in knots for a while now. I had to focus on making sure my subordinates didn't get killed.
"Uta, we’re using the Anti-Ship Rifle."
"Roger, unlocking."
I readied the Large-caliber Rifle attached to the unit's back, bracing it at the hip. This was a new weapon developed by the Imperial Army and the Chronos Army, supposedly based on Ancient Weapon technology. Consequently, miniaturization had proved impossible. It was so massive it could only be fired from the shoulder or the hip. In a way, it was a completely defective weapon.
I left the targeting to Uta.
"Hold on, Captain. The positioning is off. Move up a little."
"On it."
I boosted upward.
"Line of fire secured. Destroyer locked on. Hold it steady!"
"Yeah, yeah."
"Fire!"
The moment she pulled the trigger, the recoil impact nearly sent the machine tumbling. I somehow managed to regain my balance.
"Phew..."
"Ugh... that impact did damage to the whole frame!" Uta complained.
It really was a piece of junk. A beam of light, comparable to the main cannon of a royal vessel, surged forward. The moment it connected, the beam punched through the destroyer and its energy field simultaneously. A split second later, the ship vanished in an explosion.
"Destroyer neutralized!"
We readied another shot.
"Captain, move a little to the diagonal."
"Got it."
"Line of fire secured. Launching!"
Bam!
Once again, the machine's posture was thrown into chaos.
"No damage to the frame this time. Good timing."
"You know, this weapon is a total failure," I muttered.
Having to manually compensate for the recoil every single time was absurd.
"Well, the Imperial Army used to be barbarians who fought the Zorks with garbage like the Bolt Thrower," Uta reminded me.
"Gwaaaaah! Don't remind me! That thing was a nightmare!"
During training, countless machines had been fried to a crisp or rendered immobile by their own reflected electric shocks. That weapon was infamous because even the improved versions had so many friendly-fire incidents that only the Kamishiro Squad could effectively use them. My own machine had once been disabled by a stray shot from another squad. I'd nearly died. Supposedly, the Kamishiro Squad could just 'see' the shots and dodge them...
I continued firing the rifle, reciting my long list of grievances in my head. It was a one-sided slaughter.
As the enemy ships were disabled, the Space Raiders would board and suppress them. Any captured Corpse Eaters were destined for research facilities to be used in experiments for extermination drugs or artificial barriers. We were already shifting our focus toward the celebration party afterward.
I could hear the distinct sound of Uta's stomach growling through the comms.
"Yakiniku, yakiniku, yakiniku..." she chanted.
She sounded like she had completely abandoned her humanity in favor of gluttony. However, our optimism was premature. Ai-chan issued a sharp warning.
"The Corpse Eaters... they are merging."
"...Like a colony of coral?" I asked.
"Something like that, Captain!"
A massive creature began to take shape. It looked like a Demon Bobbit Worm racing through the vacuum of space. It was a truly repulsive sight. The mass grew until it reached the size of a cruiser.
"Uta! Fire!"
"It's a huge target! I've got the line! Hold it... and, take this!"
Bam! Another long-range shot roared out.
Nearly half of the Corpse Eater mass was obliterated. However, the defective weapon had reached its breaking point.
"Internal temperature critical! Ah, no! It's broken!"
"I knew it was a piece of junk!"
I jettisoned the rifle. There was no other choice. I gripped my mid-range rifle in one hand and prepared to charge.
"Uta! Dump every missile we have into it while we close the gap!"
"Roger!"
"Space Raiders! The mission parameters have changed. Withdraw! We'll hold this thing back!"
"Much appreciated!" came the response from the Raiders.
Good grief... I was so sick of this.
If I could just endure three more years, my obligation to repay the military academy's tuition would be fulfilled. I had intended to grit my teeth until then, but I'd reached my limit! Being saddled with defective equipment and shoved into the meat grinder of actual combat was more than I could take.
In the next moment, the clear ring of a bell echoed inside my head. Something shifted.
"...What?"
"Uta, did you hear that?"
"I heard it."
As we sat there in confusion, the machine began to radiate a brilliant, golden light.
What the hell is happening?!