I pushed forward at max throttle, closing the distance to the Duke's battleship. I was now within range of an absurd number of plasma cannons—exactly what Huma-san had warned me against.
The Duke's warship was even larger than my wife's. Hers was a carrier-type designed to house humanoid fighters, standard-type fighters, small battleships, and various vehicles; its sheer scale as a mobile fortress was its primary strength. But the Duke’s ship was different. It was just big for the sake of being big. Its main cannon, glowing with excessive light, was a monument to wastefulness. Even by the standards of Big Gun Fetishism, this was extreme.
Still, it carried enough fighters to launch an intercepting force. ART Destroyers—now little more than high-speed flight-type coffins—deployed to meet me. I opened a channel to them.
"This is Captain Leo Kamishiro of Veronica's Personal Guard. Duke Hashimoto has incited a rebellion. Retreat now! There's no need for any more pointless casualties!"
"Captain Leo Kamishiro... our thanks. But the Duke's knights are coming next. Be on your guard."
The fighter pilots bypassed me and fled. In their wake, a swarm of humanoid fighters appeared. A transmission crackled to life.
"You rebel who seduced the Imperial Princess! Prepare to face the blade of justice!"
"Doesn't that contradict the verbal abuse your Duke was screaming earlier?" I retorted.
"Shut uuuuuuuuuup! We can't let any of you live!"
Naturally. Being a vassal is a tough gig; you're tied to the boss's fate, after all.
"Look, just hand over the Duke. I bet the pay sucks anyway, right?"
"W-Well, that’s..."
Suddenly, a plasma cannon fired from the Duke’s warship. Several of their own humanoid fighters were vaporized instantly. Their shields didn't stand a chance. Hey, you aren't supposed to use a weapon that size against humanoid fighters!
Hashimoto’s voice broke through the channel. I really didn't want to hear it.
"I will slaughter anyone who defies me! Thomas! Dieeeeeeeee!"
Full speed. I had to stop him! The enemy knights, stunned by being shot from behind by their own leader, were frozen in place. I slipped right past them, ignoring the humanoid fighters entirely.
I reached the top of the Duke's ship and fired my plasma cannon to strip away the shields.
"Leo-kun! Shield output is dropping! You're clear to use missiles!" the Fairy called out. She was acting as my spotter using the drones.
"Drones, fire missiles!"
The locked-on missiles impacted, and the battleship's armor began to peel away. Some of the blasts reached deep into the hull, triggering internal explosions.
"Fuhahaha! I blew out their air conditioning with the bunker buster-type missiles!"
The Fairy... she was terrifying. With her in serious mode on my side, I didn't feel like I could lose to any human opponent.
"Next is the water supply system! Lock on!"
The targeting system was practically running on autopilot. The fired missiles pulverized the water supply system, spraying clouds of water into the void.
"Crush the turrets with the plasma cannon!"
I sniped the anti-aircraft guns one by one. Turrets erupted in flames. I'd assumed they were AI-controlled, but I saw people being blown out into space. I’d just killed someone... It was a grim reminder that this was war. If you want someone to blame, blame Duke Hashimoto.
"Captain! We're here!"
Melissa’s voice came through. She arrived in a humanoid fighter, followed by the rest of the idiot boys in their own machines. Did they all go back to switch?
...Wait, was I the only one who charged in with a regular fighter?
"What about the knights?" I asked.
"Wiped them all out."
The display showed the humanoid fighters of the Duke's Knight Order drifting with their limbs torn off. Wow... they were supposed to be veterans.
"Man, I heard they were elites, but they're weaker than the Zork," one of the boys commented.
They’d all become way too strong! The Duke's elite knight order was being treated like total fodder.
But then, the mood shifted.
"Fuhahahaha! I have no need for tomorrow! Die, Thomas!"
The Duke's massive main cannon was aimed squarely at Thomas's ship. It began its firing sequence. Dammit, I have to break that thing!
I fired my plasma cannon, but the weapon was too small. I fired my missiles; they hit, but it wasn't enough. If only I had something with more punch!
"Thomas!"
Just then, something streaked through the air. A chainsaw. It slammed into and pierced the main cannon.
"Leo-san! I brought it!"
It was Alyssa. She was piloting... my machine! Edge’s voice came through as well.
"Leo! Get on!"
I hit the ejection lever without a second thought. Launched into the void, I maneuvered toward the Jester-exclusive machine using the thrusters on my cockpit seat. I reached it in seconds and swapped places with Alyssa.
Alyssa moved into the two-seater with Edge. It felt strange not seeing Claire there.
"Lord Groom! You okay?"
"I'm safe!"
"No time to chat. Here’s the deal: I’ve got a Rail Cannon for you! It's a replica of the Linear Blazer. It’s smaller, and the output is only about a tenth of the original, but it’ll work!"
"On it!"
I leveled the Rail Cannon.
"Leo-kun! Correction complete!"
The moment the Fairy gave the word, I fired the railgun. The 500-year-old over-technology completely ignored the shields, the impact force shearing through the battleship’s armor. It tore through the main cannon, which promptly detonated. The explosion sent the chainsaw flying back toward me.
"Not yet!"
I caught the chainsaw mid-flight. My eyes locked onto a garish golden machine.
"Leo! Kamishiro! I’ll kill you!"
It was the Duke-exclusive machine, a gaudy gold monstrosity that made my eyes hurt just looking at it.
"Come and get some!"
I lunged. The Duke swung his battleaxe—under normal circumstances, he might have been a fierce opponent. But my combat experience was worlds apart from his. His movements felt sluggish, almost like they were in slow motion. I effortlessly parried the halberd.
"Uooooooooooh!"
My chainsaw caught the Duke's machine right on the crown of its head. With a violent roar, it sliced through the golden frame, bisecting it in one stroke.
"H-How... could I, Hashimoto, lose to a worm...?"
"Then feel the sting of this worm's pride!"
I kicked the two halves of the Duke's machine away. It exploded in the distance.
Yeah. I won.