Humans were turning into Zorks.
The sight was more than enough to stain one's heart with despair.
"S-Secure theeeeeeeeeem!!!"
The police were the first to react to the abnormal scene.
They had managed to overcome their panic through sheer willpower—or perhaps they had simply hit the point of desperation.
"Protect the police!"
A roar from some old guy—I couldn't remember if he was an army second lieutenant or a first lieutenant—snapped us back to our senses.
Even I, someone used to fighting Zorks, had been swallowed up by the atmosphere.
"We're going in too!!!"
Some of the humans had transformed into crabs. Others had become tentacle-types or masses of flesh, and a significant number had died on the spot after failing to transform at all.
They weren't even being treated as disposables.
She really intended to exterminate humanity.
Half of the transformed men (and presumably the women) had become female-types—curvy, large-chested women just like Kevin.
The women’s physiques had also shifted, their faces becoming more beautiful versions of their original selves.
I couldn't tell if there was a logic to it or if it was just luck of the draw.
I used my humanoid fighter to kick one of the crabs away.
"Leo-kun! I'm sure of it now!"
"Sure of what!?"
"The Jester's reality alteration ability! The world is still a living hell! That hasn't changed!"
"Then what do you mean!?"
A tentacle lashed out at me.
"Slow!!!"
It was the same as dealing with the thorns. I deployed a Slow field and grabbed the decelerated tentacle.
"Hah!"
I yanked it with all my might, then drove a knee into the face of the tentacle-type as it stumbled.
"Leo-kun! The world's difficulty level hasn't changed! It's just that you pull in endings where none of your allies die! Reality only warps into a joke in your immediate vicinity!!!"
"Excuse me?"
"You survived that first raid because you awakened to the Jester's ability. You've survived every ridiculous development since then, but normally, you would have died dozens of times over! Even I wouldn't have helped you under normal circumstances. The Linear Blazer is the same! In a normal reality, the Zorks would have seized it and everyone would be dead! After the assassination, Thomas should have died and Walter should have been the victor!"
It was true that I’d made a complete mess of the original scenarios.
Ah... I see.
I’d only been using my knowledge of the plot to stay ahead at the very beginning.
So the Jester really isn't the strongest after all!
"By twisting fate this time, the enemies have all gathered in one spot! This is our chance!"
Is it? They’re all teamed up and waiting for us—I feel like we're at a massive disadvantage!
But I had to do it!
"So, what should the guy who twists fate be doing?"
"Please defeat Alexia!"
I hurried toward the spot where Alexia had vanished.
I carved through Zorks with my chainsaw.
The police and army infantry were fighting for their lives, but they were being helped by the female-type Zorks. Just like Kevin, their sudden change in body balance caused them to trip and stumble over themselves.
The police focused on capturing the female-types.
A tank slammed into one of the crabs.
This garden was right next to a bustling commercial district. We couldn't just fire the main cannons here.
The boys—the Hound Squad—were in their element. They fought the Zorks bravely using ballistic weaponry.
Melissa and the Imperial Guard were also giving it their all.
I finally reached the place where Alexia had disappeared. The hole led deep underground.
"She got away..."
"Leo! I have an energy reaction!"
Suddenly, an earthquake struck. With a low rumble, the garden began to split open.
Earth and debris were swallowed into the abyss.
My danger-sensing instincts screamed at full volume.
"Retreat! All forces, retreat!"
A giant hand reached out from the hole.
Its body was dyed black... no, that wasn't right. Countless Zorks—flesh-piece-types—were clinging to the machine.
It was the Zork-infected Linear Blazer.
"Leo Kamishiro... accursed Jester. I wonder if your puny fist can reach me now that I have become a god?"
It won't reach, you moron! Look at the difference in our machine sizes!
I had the Death Blaster, but I couldn't use it here!
The enemy's hand reached for me.
"Claire! Targeting, please!"
"On it!"
"Slow!"
The enemy's hand slowed down.
I slashed at the giant limb with my chainsaw as Claire unleashed a barrage. We couldn't use the main cannon, so she opened up with the anti-aircraft Gatling gun.
"Uoryaaaaaaa!"
I slashed again and again, tearing away chunks of meat, but I couldn't reach the inner frame.
"Leo! The mass is just too different!"
"Damn it!"
I rolled out of the way just as the giant hand slammed into the ground. A heavy thud shook the earth.
A platform rose from the hole, and the black-stained Linear Blazer fully emerged.
"Oh, come on... what are we supposed to do about that..."
The moment I muttered that, spears of light rained from the sky.
I realized a second later that they were missiles traveling at ultra-high speeds.
The missiles slammed into the Linear Blazer's head.
"Captain Leo Kamishiro! The Lords' Allied Army has arrived to assist!!!"
Warships filled the sky—vessels belonging to the local lords and the military that had been congested at the spaceport.
Then, I saw machines jumping down from Wifey's Aerial Fortress.
"Leo! We've got your back!"
It was Edge's custom machine! And Alyssa's Jester-exclusive machine beside him.
So Alyssa's was finished!
"Claire! What's the status on the civilian evacuation?"
"Still in progress!"
"You two! The evacuation outside the premises isn't done yet!"
"Understood!"
Edge drew his sword and slashed at the Linear Blazer. Alyssa followed up with her halberd.
Man... the Jester really is cursed with being a muscle-brain.
Wait, were those missiles from earlier okay to fire here?
...Well, they already hit, so there's no point worrying now!
"Leo-kun! There's another machine nearby!"
The Fairy broke into the voice chat.
"Another what!?"
"A Linear Blazer! There's another one in the garden's basement!"
"An enemy?"
"It hasn't been activated yet!"
"Why the hell is there a massacre weapon in the basement?! Is every Duke in this country an idiot?!"
Every single one of them is ready to overthrow the government the second they see an opening!
"They hid it! They transferred the basement under the guise of an archaeological site, betting on the fact that the Empire would forget it existed since they have no interest in ruins..."
Missiles from the warships rained down in unison, striking the Linear Blazer one after another.
The weapon’s original weakness was its durability, but the Zorks had overcome that.
The infinitely regenerating meat absorbed the impact of every explosion.
I wondered how many citizens had been turned into that meat. It was an act of pure, unadulterated evil.
"Fuhahaha! I am invincible! I am the strongest in the universe!!!"
That's just cheating...