Even as a self-proclaimed muscle-brain, I had to admit... this was incredibly stupid.
Granted, if you asked me if I liked it, the answer was a resounding yes. I absolutely lived for this kind of stuff.
But doing it here? A combining robot? Really?
The Linear Blazer advanced. A swarm of Crab-chans appeared, but the scale was simply too skewed. The massive machine just trampled them into the dirt.
"Captain, you’ve found a new way to clear the stage, haven’t you?" Melissa’s voice came through the comms.
Annihilation via overwhelming mass. It was certainly the simplest answer. The problem was that you couldn't exactly build one of these things on the fly. A Shaping Printer probably wouldn't even be able to output several of the necessary parts, and at that size, it would likely collapse under its own weight during assembly. Much like building a space battleship, you’d need an orbital dock.
If you ignored economic efficiency, it might be possible... but only just.
The Duke, piloting the Linear Blazer, continued to scatter the crabs. Emboldened by the overwhelming disparity in combat power, he grew arrogant.
"Fuhahahahahahahaha! Take that, you Kamishiro’s Devils!"
Apparently, the Duke was under the delusion that House Kamishiro had created the Zorks.
"No, that logic is completely flawed," I muttered. "House Kamishiro is a Marquis House. It’s even more of a backwater than this place! There’s no way we could produce something like the Zorks."
"Captain... I think we're past the point of logic with him," Melissa replied.
Seriously, though, what the hell did House Kamishiro do in the past? Being hated this much was just bizarre.
"Guhahaha! Today, the war with House Kamishiro ends!"
A Titan-type appeared, but it was dwarfed by the robot. The Duke defeated the giant I had struggled so hard against with a single kick.
"Weak! Weak! Weeeak!"
Invincible. In that moment, he looked exactly as the word implied.
Or so it seemed to the untrained eye.
I, however, knew the weakness. They sold ultra-giant robots in the game, too. They were strong, sure, but...
As I watched in exasperation, an alarm suddenly blared.
See? There it is.
[DANGER! DANGER! DANGER!!!]
"Ngh! What is the meaning of this?!" the Duke barked.
Crabs were scrambling up the legs of the Linear Blazer. There were dozens, then hundreds, swarming over the mechanical limbs.
"Impudent pests!"
The Duke thrashed about, trying to stomp the crabs, but it was no use. Just as I’d suspected.
"Ahaha! Captain, he’s got this amazing giant robot, but he has absolutely no idea how to use it," Melissa laughed.
"You bastards! I will not overlook such insults toward His Grace!" the Corporal snapped, his face turning red.
"I mean, think about it," I said. "He’s using something that huge and didn't bother to bring any escorts. Normally, the big guys are meant to be the tanks."
That was the reality of it. Giant units were meant to serve as shields. By failing to provide support, he was throwing away the primary advantage of being big and conspicuous. Furthermore, there was another fatal flaw.
"It cannot be helped! Activate Chest Cannon! Launch Death Blaster!"
The robot's chest plates slid open, and a massive battery emerged. The fact that it was so exquisitely tacky made it all the more wonderful. To be honest, I actually liked the design.
"Death Blaster, fire!"
The beam swept across the surrounding area, vaporizing everything in its path. However, it couldn't hit a single crab clinging to its own legs.
Then, the moment of truth arrived.
Creak, groan, screech.
The sound of metal buckling echoed from the joints.
Snap!
A bolt from a connection point went flying.
Wait, he used bolts to hold it together?! At least retrofit the thing with modern tech!
Next came the sound of a structural wire snapping. A split second later, the robot's knee bent in a direction nature never intended.
"Nuuuuuuu! What is happening?!"
The machine tilted with a heavy, wet thud. This was the fatal flaw: machines from five hundred years ago had incredibly weak joints. Even if you replaced the internals with the latest gears, the frame itself was weak enough to snap during something as violent as a Giant Swing. They weren't built for prolonged combat.
When my own exclusive machine was being built, the engineers had to completely overhaul the joint designs. They’d swapped them for the latest 3D structures and were still running calculations to account for the shifts in weight balance. These ancient designs were so fragile that you had to go to those extremes to make them viable.
Modern materials were lighter and sturdier, but unfortunately, even the latest composites were nothing more than snacks to the Zorks. They were insane creatures capable of tearing through the outer hull of a battleship.
Predictably, the legs of the Linear Blazer, swarmed by hundreds of Zorks, were severed in the blink of an eye.
The massive machine collapsed, crushing scores of Zorks beneath its weight. Yet, those that survived simply crawled out from under the wreckage and resumed their attack. They felt no fear. To the Zork, every individual was just a disposable drone.
The human inside, however, was a different story.
"Hieeeeeeee! S-Stop it, get them off me!"
The Duke's scream echoed through the speakers.
Immediately, Major Piggett of the Imperial Guard roared, "Cut the broadcast this instant! Do not allow His Grace’s honor to be stained any further!"
"Y-Yes, sir!"
The Corporal scrambled to contact the technicians, and the transmission cut to black.
"Corporal," I said, my voice dropping into a more serious tone. "From here on, command will be handed over to the Imperial Guard. Who is the highest authority remaining in this sector?"
"Y-Yes! Lord Marma, the Duke's third son, is currently at the station office!"
"Take us to him. Lord Groom! And Claire... wait, is she still feeling unwell? Melissa, you’re with me."
"Roger."
"On it!"
We were guided to the station office. Waiting inside was a boy of about ten years old, dressed in a miniature version of the military uniform.
"I am Marma Mistral," he said, offering a stiff greeting. I couldn't help but notice the small, twitching beast ears perched on his head.
"Could you be... Ren's brother?"
"Ah, yes. I am her younger brother. Do you know my sister?"
"Do I know her? Ren, I found your little brother. Your father... well, we were too late for him."
I opened a secure channel, and a hologram flickered to life. Ren appeared in the center of the room.
"Marma! You're safe!"
"Sister!"
"Where are our brothers? Our sisters? What about Mother?"
"Our brothers went to the front with Father... but Mother and our sister are still in the subway shelter!"
"And the Legal Wife?"
"She’s been missing since the monsters first appeared. You know, Sister, she had been acting strange even before the war started."
...Ah. There was a very high probability the Legal Wife was a Zork spy.
I glanced at Melissa. She gave me a look that clearly said, Don't you dare say it out loud.
Yeah, I knew better than to drop that bombshell now. Leo is a good boy.
Ren then turned her attention to her brother. "Listen to me, Marma. You must hand over command to Leo. He is of House Kamishiro, but he is a man who does not discriminate against the Beast Race."
"House Kamishiro? Surely you don't mean..."
"It was in the news... though you might not have seen it here. Leo is a hero. He defeated the Zorks and has been chosen as the consort for Her Imperial Highness, Princess Veronica."
"S-Such a thing happened? No way... House Kamishiro, the 'Devils with a Lifespan'... and an Imperial Princess?"
"Leo is the only one who can save this situation, Marma. Please. Give him command."
Marma went silent, deep in thought. Even if it made sense logically, his emotions probably wouldn't easily allow him to trust a member of House Kamishiro—a family he’d likely been taught was absolute evil since birth.
Or so I thought. His answer came surprisingly fast.
"I understand. Lord Leo, I hereby hand over command of the remaining forces to you. Please... save our people."
"Lord Marma. I will do my absolute best."
I felt a sudden surge of motivation.
I'm definitely going to ask to touch those ears later.