Though primarily used for hauling supplies, the monorail was capable of carrying passengers as well. I headed for the humanoid fighter flight deck with Eddie and the rest of the unit.
Soon, I would board my machine and launch via the catapult. The beauty of these massive battleships lay in their heavy-duty equipment; they had everything a pilot could need.
Eddie’s custom unit, the Devil of the Snowfield, was the first to deploy. His alias had been adopted as the machine’s official name, much to his chagrin. The memory of his intense loathing for the title still stuck with me. The machine was a stark, eye-catching white—a mid-range type that could hold its own in a melee.
“Captain, I’m heading out!”
Melissa’s custom machine, God's Blade of National Defense, still addressed me as “Captain.” It was a unit specialized for close-range combat. She seemed to find even the act of holding a gun too tedious, having opted instead to build machine guns directly into the unit’s head. She launched with efficient haste.
Claire’s God's Fist of the Light Wings also completed its launch sequence. It was a versatile all-rounder disguised as a close-combat specialist. I noted the spikes protruding from the knuckles on its hands. Wait, isn't that just a close-combat machine? Regardless, she launched without delay.
Next was Ren. Her unit was the Magic Bullet of Silence, a dedicated long-range type.
“Husband, I shall take my leave first.”
Ren launched. And then…
“My loooord!”
Clattering and lurching with clumsy, unrefined movements, Suematsu-san from Eddie’s squad struggled onto the catapult. He was a bizarre figure; despite being a blatant gag character, he wasn't actually a Jester. Rather than a complex exclusive machine, he piloted a customized standard unit. It was a peaky build that sacrificed all mobility for heavy armor, a massive shield that could hide the entire machine, and a literal mountain of missiles.
I’d been thinking lately that Suematsu-san might be a genius of a type that was hard to quantify. He clearly understood his own lack of piloting finesse and had customized his machine to ensure he could still contribute. In truth, he performed admirably in every battle, more than earning his keep. He was just… difficult to evaluate.
And Eddie, for being able to handle the old man, was clearly on another level himself.
Ah, he tripped.
Eventually, Suematsu-san managed to get himself launched. I supposed it was my turn. I guided Massacre Night onto the catapult.
“Major Kamishiro, commencing launch.”
“Acknowledged.”
I was outfitted with my katana and a new model assault rifle designed for vacuum use. While the specs technically called for injecting neurotoxin via the warheads, they were, for all intents and purposes, missiles. The toxin was cultured from cells provided by the cooperative female-type Zork; experimental trials had proven it effective. To be safe, I’d also been issued rounds that injected compressed gas to trigger internal explosions. They were truly horrific, inhumane weapons.
The catapult’s thrusters roared with flame. A split second later, I was hurled forward as the acceleration kicked in. Edge’s machine followed shortly after. His unit was the Crimson Purgatory. Tests had revealed Edge to be a powerful pyrokinesis user. As I suspected, the protagonist just had to be fire-attributed.
It certainly wasn't due to some “Subjective-dependent Tens-of-thousands Buff” or “Converting Unpleasant Events into Gags”!
Alyssa followed as well. She piloted a machine identical to mine, the Massacre Night Custom. Because there was virtually no data on other Jesters, they’d had no choice but to use me as the baseline.
I moved forward a short distance and waited, holding position for Raven and Grand Duke Kamishiro's Personal Guard. Normally, they should have deployed before me, but since my machine’s startup sequence was significantly faster, it always ended up this way.
A few minutes later, Raven and his men arrived.
“My Lord!”
“Yes, yes. Time for our little field trip!”
“...”
…Total silence. I thought at least one person would have given me a retort. Everyone was just so incredibly serious.
The Personal Guard members were all in custom standard machines—one hundred units in total. In this day and age, our Grand Duke Kamishiro House was likely the only faction capable of fielding such a large number of humanoid fighters. After all, the Duke Association was a thing of the past.
Raven had attempted the simulator for Massacre Night but had ultimately given up on it for this mission. The manual controls were too demanding, and his performance scores hadn't been up to par.
This was to be a total war. During the previous expedition, the dead weight had been wiped out. I wanted to believe that this time, we could actually see this through.
I watched as the fighters from the former pirate territory launched. Having finally been recognized as citizens, they were now eligible for full Imperial support. They weren't about to let that slip away. Morale was high, and volunteers were plenty. Huma-san was leading them; I was sure they’d pull their weight. The citizens of the former pirate territory were perhaps more desperate for victory than even we were.
Old Man Ohno and the rest of the Viscount and Baron Army joined the fray with their veteran warships. These were lords with extensive experience fighting off pirates. They were formidable.
The fleets under Thomas and Cyrus surged past us. Cyrus was still concealing his identity, but Thomas was truly cornered. While we didn't blame him for the failure of the last expedition, the court saw things differently. Thomas couldn't afford another blunder.
Well, I can’t afford to be outdone, either.
“All forces, move out! Upon Zork contact, engage as per the pre-battle simulations. If the situation turns dire, retreat at your own discretion. Prioritize your own lives over mine. It’s fine, really—I’m not going to die.”
I relayed the plan with a casual grin. As we advanced, the feeds from the reconnaissance drones began to sync up. A transmission came through from Kevin.
“Zork confirmed. Prepare for engagement. We’re sending in the self-destruct drones first.”
“You got it.”
At my lazy reply, the attack commenced. The Zork began to take damage as the drones detonated in their midst.
“…Leo, this is bad. They look like an enhanced type. They’re as tough as tanks.”
Of course they are! It was a total war; it only made sense they’d send the heavy hitters. Still, the poison warheads had been designed for exactly this. They should do the trick.
“They’ve entered the Zork minefield! Damn! They’re using the corpses of their own kind as stepping stones!”
Figures! I knew they’d pull that! The sheer violence of their numbers was overwhelming.
“Let’s go!”
In essence, this battle was the Zork Mother Intimidation Game. It wasn't about surviving waves; it was about slaughtering them so ruthlessly that we hammered the fear of humanity into their collective consciousness. We had to make the Zork Mother understand.
Our squad reached its designated position. After a tense wait, a swarm of crabs that had tanked the minefield arrived.
“Open fire!”
At my command, a focused volley erupted. The first shot was likely Ren’s. The bullet struck a crab but didn't pass through. Instead, it lodged inside, venting toxin directly into its vitals. The crab convulsed for a moment before going limp.
The new hardware worked, even against the enhanced types.
“The new hardware! It’s working!”
“Uoooooh!”
A roar went up from the men. But… wasn't the enemy count a bit high? An insane number of enemies was surging toward us, far beyond anything reasonable. This wasn't strategy; the Zork were simply trying to crush us under their weight.