Once we figured out the trick, it was just a matter of going on the offensive.
The Barbarian Horde kept things simple.
Katori-sensei deliberately baited them into warping, only to beat them to a pulp.
The Ogre God Nation Volunteers were attempting the same challenge.
Wow... once you know the trick, it’s just a beatdown.
I really have to wonder what the point of my bleeding ears was earlier...
Well, here’s my theory.
Being able to use warp-evasion and warp-ambushes is so advantageous that it actually narrows your strategic options.
You end up relying on the warp too much.
Even I find myself using it instinctively.
Ren, meanwhile, was sniping them the moment they warped in.
With her reflexes, she could see them appear and still pull the trigger in time.
She shot them down one after another.
"Gu—uooooooooooooh!"
One of the enemies, realizing Ren was the most dangerous threat, warped into her blind spot.
Yikes.
But the moment the enemy appeared, Ren slammed her rifle into its head like a club.
They didn't understand the true strength of the Beast Race.
Their sheer reflexes were on a completely different level than ours.
If the Ogre God people were a strength-specialized type, the Beast Race was built for explosive speed and reaction time.
Moreover, Ren was a Queen Species. She was the absolute strongest!
Even I’m not sure I’d win if I fought her seriously.
"Gah!"
Even with its head mangled, the enemy tried to keep fighting.
But Ren remained calm.
She switched her sniper rifle to its close-range Shotgun Mode and pulled the trigger from the hip.
The enemy was incapacitated by a single blast of buckshot.
And that was that.
We didn't have any weaknesses to exploit.
Their downfall was simply relying too much on their warp technology.
And besides, besides...
If they can come at us in Humanoid Fighters...
That means they can do the same with something even bigger, right?
Exactly... and they did.
"Leo-kun! Multiple Warships have appeared!"
"I figured as much! Gather 'round, everyone! We’re going warship hunting!"
"Uoooooooooooooo!"
Everyone’s hype was at a maximum.
After all, taking down a Warship with a Humanoid Fighter is every pilot's dream.
Usually, the size difference is so great that you wouldn't even try.
Though in our case, we were kind of forced into it.
This was a Joint Operation between the Chronos Fleet and the Galactic Empire.
Furthermore, Latarnia—fearing a flood of refugees from Chronos—and the Taikyoku Nation joined the fray as well.
Because Chronos had been accepting refugees from places like Magellan and Ozen, many countries felt they owed us.
Even Shiyun was able to deploy her regular army without having to make excuses about "acting out of righteousness."
The people of the Ogre God Nation joined in with sparkling eyes, eager for a massive brawl.
Their citizens are so wonderfully free-spirited!
I opened a correspondence with Wifey.
"Wifey, they’re definitely using warp!"
"Indeed. I received the footage from Luna. It seems they intended to appear suddenly for a surprise attack, but we were simply waiting for them after intentionally leaving a hole in our formation."
"Yeah, they have such an advantage that their actual strategy is full of holes."
"I cannot find it in myself to blame them, even if they are the enemy. Had we developed it first, we likely would have ended up the same way. There are experiences that can only be gained through defeat... or rather, it is simply that my Lord Groom, who overwhelmed them on the first encounter, is the abnormal one."
That was the long and short of it.
The plan was simple: leave a gap in the line and wait.
Then, we’d swarm them the moment they warped in.
That said, it didn't change the fact that we were using an unfavorable formation.
We needed to reorganize the line immediately.
In other words, this tactic was high-risk and incredibly difficult to pull off.
The fact that Wifey could manage it was the most terrifying part about her.
"The Second Wave is warping in!"
"Things will get difficult from the Second Wave onwards! Lord Groom, hurry!"
"On it!"
I was already in position.
And I had already predicted the warp coordinates!
Here it comes!
A Giant Battleship materialized right in front of me.
I was surprised myself, but the people on the other side must have been absolutely floored.
Probably something like, "Wait, he’s already here?!"
My tactic was the Pirate Tactics.
I fired my guns at point-blank range to breach the Outer Hull.
Then, I forced my way inside!
I’m going to wreck this thing from the core!
"Hellooo! Ramen delivery!"
"It—It’s the Massacre Night! The Grand Duke of Chronos is on board!"
The crew members fired their guns at me, but the scale was just too different.
As if those pea-shooters would do anything to me!
I widened the hole in the Outer Hull and then... Leo-kun Punch!
"Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
The crew members were sucked out into the vacuum of space.
An invitation to the great outdoors.
They’d probably be picked up later—if they were lucky.
They seemed to be wearing specialized suits for extravehicular activity, at least.
I continued to tear through the warship at my leisure.
I made a beeline for the engine room.
I wasn't about to let them escape!
Humanoid Heavy Machinery and Turrets tried to intercept me, but it was useless, useless, useless!
I mowed them down.
Once I reached the engine room, I tossed in a Grenade and made a quick exit.
With a massive explosion, the warship was rendered completely dead in the water.
"Hyah-ha! I knew it, Big Bro is anything but normal! He’s freaking insane!"
I am not.
I got a correspondence from Katori-sensei as well.
"I’m getting in on the action too!"
The barbarians, fueled by pure motivation, started mimicking me.
I felt a bit like I’d just handed firecrackers to a bunch of elementary schoolers...
We took out the warships one by one.
Normally, a warship would put up a screen of suppressive fire and deploy its own humanoid fighters to keep enemies at bay.
But because we were controlling their exit points, they became sitting ducks for us.
Was the lack of escort humanoid fighters due to them underestimating us?
No... they probably just deemed them unnecessary.
Under normal circumstances, we were supposed to be tied up fighting their initial wave of humanoid fighters.
It wasn't so much that their plan was full of holes as it was that their strategic flexibility was non-existent.
They hadn't even considered what would happen if they couldn't defeat our humanoid fighters.
This was the result of showing up with far too much confidence.
And just like that, Lepsitol was shamed before the entire universe.
Upon receiving the report of the mission's failure, the Chairman of Mikoshi Trading Co. left a Death Poem and committed Seppuku.
Lepsitol sent me a message informing me of this.
Did they expect me to let them off the hook because of that?
Are you guys mocking me?
Do you take me for a fool?
There’s no way in hell I’m forgiving you.
Seeing me return to the surface waving with a smile, Wifey muttered a single thing...
"You’ve gone and angered something truly outrageous..."
Hahaha. I told you, I’m not mad.
"What will you do next?"
"I think I'll take a little vacation."
"Oh?"
"I figured I should occasionally get some work done as a Space Pirate, you know?"
Seeing my smile, my companions all made faces that said, "Yikes."
Even Katori-sensei muttered, "Ah, those guys are dead."
I’m not going to kill them.
I’m just going to go stir the pot in Lepsitol for a bit.
By the way, apparently this footage sold for a massive sum to various streaming platforms.
Same for the pro-wrestling tournament!
Now then, time to have Karen-san sell me Mike & Hammer Co. Te-he! ♪