The blinding discharge from the bolt throwers flared across my monitors. I had filters active on the cameras, so I could still see, but the frequent white-outs were more than a little grating.
Fortunately, the electrical attacks proved more effective than I'd dared hope. The current shredded their muscle tissue and nerves, frying their brains instantly. Of course, the fields were being decimated in the process. Actually, they’d already been trampled by military vehicles during the coup, or the harvest had been missed entirely. The vegetables were destined for the scrap heap anyway. Even so, as the son of a lord from an agricultural planet, the sight was enough to make me nauseous from stress.
We were in the middle of a hard fight, but Rikochi was the real surprise. Her flamethrowers weren't doing much; the insects just kept charging even while engulfed in flames, crashing into the dry grass and spreading the fire further. The bolt throwers were a far better option.
"Fugyaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
"Rikochi? You still with us?"
"Bugs! Bugsssssssss!"
Ah, she’d snapped. Like Ren, Rikochi was firmly in the 'hates bugs' camp. Still, even in a panic, she did her job. She was one of the strongest members of my squad for a reason.
A locust slammed through the wall of fire Rikochi had unleashed.
Grit!
A sickening sound echoed through the cockpit.
"Huh?"
The armor was scuffed. Just a tiny bit, but the paint was gone.
"You’ve got to be kidding me..."
This was completely insane. This was a humanoid fighter’s armor—reinforced with Zork’s outer shell—and it had just been chewed through. These weren't just animals.
"Fairy! Emergency! They're eating the armor!"
"Dwaaaaaah! There's no way these are natural! They’re biological weapons! Veronica-chan! It’s a disaster!"
My wifey broke into the correspondence course.
"Lord Groom, I hear you! You just need to buy time for the retreat, correct?"
"Veronica, if we don't thin them out, the swarm will reach the Capital City!"
"Nnu... even if it's another nation, we cannot simply abandon the people and flee. Our reputation would be ruined. Fine! Prioritize the evacuation! Lord Groom, maintain a fighting retreat!"
"Roger that."
The armor continued to groan with a grinding gori-gori sound as the insects gnawed on it. Rikochi was holding up—thank God for thick armor. Claire was also holding her own with her bolt thrower. As a self-proclaimed Village Girl, she wasn't afraid of a few bugs. However, her armor was also being stripped bare.
It was getting dark. Raven-kun and his team were struggling with their pulse rifles, their machines vanishing into the gloom. I flicked on the lights... and saw nothing but insects. A swarm massive enough to blot out the sun was descending upon us.
"This is bad!"
We could still move, and as individual enemies, their combat stats were low. We could probably just hunker down and wait it out. But if we ran, the civilians would pay the price. What now?
Suddenly, a heavy thud shook the ground.
"What was that?"
"An apartment building just collapsed! They ate through the foundations!"
A building near us had crumbled into a heap of rubble, sending a cloud of dust our way.
"Is anyone inside?"
"Checking records! Leo-kun, the residents were already evacuated!"
God, that was close.
"This is way too effective as a city-attack weapon..."
If the enemy deployed this, you'd have to burn the city down along with the people just to stop it. This wasn't like suppressing a rebellion. This was about slaughtering innocents. No government in a democracy like Chronos could survive the fallout. If someone used this in the Galactic Empire, even Veronica’s throne would be at risk. What a petty, spiteful weapon. Whoever designed this had a black heart.
"Ukyiiiiiiiiiiiiii!"
I fought like a wild animal. Rikochi had gone full berserker, but visibility was dropping fast.
"We're being whittled down!"
The sheer violence of numbers was overwhelming. We weren't dying, but the psychological pressure was immense. Kevin’s voice crackled over the radio.
"Explosive drones are useless! They’re getting swarmed and shot down instantly!"
If Kevin couldn't do it, then maybe Nina-san... Just as I was thinking that, Tatiana contacted us.
"Big Brother Leo! I'm going to try the Saint Barrier! No promises, though!"
"What? Is your position safe? If it's a gamble, just run!"
"I'm fine... OW! SON OF A—! The bastard bit my hand!"
"You are not fine! Get underground!"
"No way! I'm a member of the Kamishiro Squad, too!"
"Tatiana, wait—!"
"Recklessness and near-death experiences are our specialty. Barrier, activate!"
A low hum filled the air. A moment later, the locusts began to drop. A literal rain of insects hammered against our cockpits.
It worked. Whoa.
This was insane. It was a strategic weapon designed to erase buildings and people alike. I felt dizzy at the sheer scale of the malice behind it. Who actually builds something like this? If a proposal like this crossed my desk, I’d throw it back in their face. A weapon like this ensures the survivors will never forgive you. It turns a war into a battle for extinction.
"Fairy! Set up a meeting with Latarnia! We're lodging a formal protest with Chronos!"
"Leo-kun, stay calm! We don't know for sure if Chronos is behind this."
"Ukyiiiiiiiiiiiiii!"
I went back to animalistic combat.
Then, I heard a low, cold voice from our Farmer Representative, Claire.
"...I'm going to kill them."
"Eh?"
"I've seen a lot of malice in my time... but I won't forgive this. I'm going to kill them all."
"Right. Okay."
Oh boy. Claire had snapped. I was washing my hands of whatever happened next.
Back at the evacuation shelter, Tatiana was being treated. One of the bugs had gotten her hand. The medics were disinfecting it before the nanomachines could close the wound.
"Sorry, dear. There might be toxins, so I have to cut deep to clean it out."
"Migyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
Ouch. That sounded brutal.
"Sorry, Tatiana. This is on me."
"It's fine. If you feel bad, just give me some praise."
"Right. Good girl. You did great."
That was a close one. Many other soldiers had minor injuries where the bugs had chewed through their combat suits.
Later that day, a summit was held between Veronica, the King of Latarnia, the King of the Ogre God Nation, and Shiyun.
The topic: the locust plague weapon.
Even when using insect-based technology, our philosophies were polar opposites. We built weapons to assassinate commanders and minimize casualties; the enemy built a planet-extermination weapon.
I had a feeling we’d be relying on Tatiana again very soon.