Chapter 32: The second resonance

"That reckless blockhead…"

Isumi angrily gritted her teeth at the sight of Takeru's empty parking lot.

The head mechanic and Haruka have filled her with detail regarding the boy's recklessness. There is nothing she could do about that until her TSF is readied to move-out.

"That idiot…"

Through Isumi's retinal display, Hayase, too, gritted her teeth impatiently at how slow her TSF was made ready.

"You better not thinking of doing anything funny, Hayase…" Isumi sternly warned through a private channel.

"I am not him. I understand my position very well"

Hayase immediately cut Isumi off from her warning. Her voice was devoid of any hesitation.

Good. I was worry over nothing.

"Good, after this we will discipline him for real. You should come as well, make sure that he will not do something like this again"

Isumi nodded her head and said in a joking tone. Of course, it was no time to joke. She wanted to ease the tension in the air.

"Right…"

Hayase answered.

That's if that kid able to survive.

Isumi understood painfully well the reason behind the hesitation in Hayase's reply. After all, no matter how good he was, how much of a genius he was, going out there and fought against the BETA with nothing but knives are suicidal.

XXXXXXXXXX

"XO, you have to see this"

Suzumiya Haruka called to Kouzuki Yuuko the moment she witnessed a shocking data from the Data sharing line.

"Hm?"

"It seemed that every BETA detected in our radar scan all focus their attention at Shirogane's unit. They completely ignore everything else. This has never happened before."

Haruka's anxious voice was really loud, in contrast to her usual calm and compose demeanour once she sat at the command post. She didn't even realize that the content of her voice was leaked to the rest of the command post as well as field officers.

On the monitoring screen that Haruka showed to Yuuko, the blue dot which represented Takeru's Shiranui was surrounded by an uncountable amount of red dots. Wherever the blue dot moved, the red dots followed closely.

"That damned kid…"

"XO?"

"Have the every unit remain on standby at their respective hangar except A-01. Mobilize A01 to the 1st armoury and get their weapons there instead of waiting at the special hangar. Patch me to Isumi while you are at it"

"But…"

Haruka stared disbelievingly at Yuuko, understood immediately the meaning behind such order.

Yuuko's face was totally contorted with a grim expression. It so wasn't like Yuuko at all to have such expression on her poker face. Such was Yuuko's answer.

"Copied. This is command post to…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Failed.

It was the only word Takeru could come up, labelling the first plan regarding this whole incident.

This should not happen if he succeeded it, mass product the XM3 for the regular army.

The contract regarding the XM3 at the moment was only with various group of test flights and research groups. There hasn't any grandstand contract with any regular army. And Takeru wasn't as naïve as believing that his XM3 will once day refit into the regular armies without a hitch.

Thus, the progress could not regard as a success. An anti-human OS will be deemed unneeded in a war against the BETA. Defeating the invincible Infinities won't amount much if the OS was sentenced to be useless in a trial against the BETA. And only god knows, with so many people against Yuuko and her ALTERNATIVE IV, how many people will try to sabotage those trials?

Thus, some extreme method will be needed. Yuuko had deemed that she needed to take such extreme measurement in order to make the XM3 a success.

And Takeru has prepared for this scenario as well, a plan just in case he could not stop Yuuko from carrying out this maddened plot. If Yuuko chose this method to save the XM3 from getting axed, Takeru will go along with it, but not without refitting it to his accordance.

His priority was of course, still the refitting of XM3 into the regular army. But, he can minimize the casualty to some extend with Sumika's help.

First, withdraw training troop from training area. Second, delay deployment from hangar while luring the BETA away from the base. Third, locate and destroy the laser classes.

Those objectives must be met in order to prove the superiority of the XM3 with minimum casualty. In another word, Takeru must do his best to survive the BETA onslaught until the reinforcement arrived whilst carrying out those objectives.

Two out of three objectives were easily dealt. But the last objective could prove to be the hardest.

…

Destroyers!

The fastest strand of BETA that was known to mankind appeared at the corner of Takeru's vision. They are always the lead vanguard for the entire BETA's force. Their frontal armour's toughness was only second to diamond itself and their maximum velocity could reach above 170 km/h. Takeru has knew everything about them during Captain Isumi's express course, including the other strands that were known to human.

Four Destroyers orderly fitted themselves on the Hiragi Highway in a row, charging right at Takeru's Shiranui.

It wouldn't be a tough job for any Eishi to dodge them with a single boost jump. But, such manoeuvrer was the common mistake that cost many lives of newly graduated Eishi. At the rear, the laser class will have a clear shot once TSFs went airborne.

But Takeru knew that very well, that's why he chose a frontal confrontation against his enemies.

"Take this"

The Shiranui magnificently squeezed itself in between the small space between the charging Destroyers, completely evade the head to head collision like put a threat through a needle. Then, somersaulting, Takeru sank his knives into the flesh of two passing by Destroyers.

Two Destroyers skidded on the asphalt, trying to brake while the other two simply overturned, rolling on the hardened asphalt and unable to stand up.

Tch

Takeru angrily clicked his tongue as he looked at his smeared red Type 65 PB knife on both hands. The sensation was just wrong. He wasn't able to slice through the bone of the creatures.

The two unharmed Destroyers immediately regained their balance after sliding at least 20 meters on the asphalt of Hiragi Highway whereas the other two simply stumble on the ground, barely able to support their mass. They were like moths that was hypnotized and attracted to a giant flame that was Takeru's Shiranui. Normally, those Destroyers would simply continue their frontal charge, without bothering about one TSF that pass through their formation like that. But not this case, not when Takeru had already activating his trump card, making himself the sole target of every BETA within the area.

"Good, catch me if you can"

Shirogane Takeru taunted the creatures as he plunged his Shiranui toward the charging swarm of BETA in front of him.

Takeru saw a wave of Grapplers came running through his retinal display. Behind them was an absurdity army of BETA as usual. But the one that Takeru was looking for was no where to be seen.

Once again, in a head to head confrontation, Takeru flew straight at the advancing enemies like he had a dead wish.

Charing at Grappler with nothing but close combat knives made for killing the smallest strands of BETA was extremely reckless, if not suicidal. One hit from the Grappler' pincers in a wrong place, the Shiranui can depart straight to junk yard immediately without further thorough inspection from any mechanics.

The leading Grappler raised its pincer high, preparing for a killing blow upon contact with the Shiranui. However, it was within Takeru's expectation. He promptly dove beneath the rising massive forearm and bury his knife deep into the creature's joints and flank.

The flying speed of the Shiranui and the charging momentum of the Grappler did everything that Takeru ever needed to loft off the creature's forearm. Another followed sledgehammers, too, missed Takeru's Shiranui by a hairbreadth as he evaded them with ease.

"Damn"

Takeru inwardly cursed as figures of Tank class BETAs appeared right after the grapplers. They hid themselves perfectly under the massive form of the medium classes.

The Tanks classes suddenly leaped at Takeru's machine like swarm of grasshoppers with their powerful limps. But, they, too, could not slow down the speeding Shiranui with their tactic. The Tanks grabbed nothing but dust the moment they landed, unable to touch the armour of Takeru's TSF with their speed. Among them, one Tank was particularly close to catch the Shiranui on its back. Yet, the moment it came to contact with the Shiranui, a giant metallic fist violently squashed it to the ground before it could do a single thing.

Takeru kept on advancing through the heart of the monster army, without slowing down in his trusted Shiranui. Along the way, he nicked, hacked and cut anything blocking his way, without bother checking whether he has finished them off. Nay, he couldn't finish them off. He lacked the right weapons, equipments and the time for that job. And fighting with these monsters wasn't his priority.

His priority was to get the location of the Lux and Magnus Lux strands. And they were normally at the rear of the BETA's army. Thus, he could only push forward, pressing deeper into the heart of the BETA's rank. His TSF was like a small plane that was sucked into the eyes of a ravenous storm.

Any mistake could cost Takeru his death. Any miscalculation would result in his demise, either a quick and painless death or an extremely painful death. Yet, Takeru magnificently pressed his machine through ranks of his arch-nemesis without slowing down from his initial sub sonic speed.

Suddenly, his sight was darkened. Through his retinal display, a 70 meter heights behemoth cast its massive shadow upon the crowded highway. A coiling whip fiendishly came right at Takeru within the next seconds. The sharpen tip at the end of the gigantic tentacle glinted dangerously as it pierced through air like a starved giant serpent.

"Get out of my way"

Takeru howled, making a steep dive and evade the whirling serpent by inches. He then rent his blades through the behemoth's flesh, slicing through the giant whip with dual knives.

Like a unstring kite, the severed head of the serpent curved through the air, pathetically splashed blood everywhere it went like fire hose before sank to the ground.

A tremor ran channelled through Takeru's Shiranui immediately. A Tank took advantage of his distraction during his earlier collision with the Fort class and somehow has managed to grab a hold on his left Jump unit.

"Die"

Without a sliver of hesitation, Takeru ran his knife through the creature's body, hacking the creature to halves before it could sink its jaw into his thruster.

However, before Takeru could breathe out a relieving breath, a system notice flashed.

"Shit. Of all parts…"

The cursing word came out of Takeru's mouth instantly. The vectoring module of the left Jump unit was damaged.

Immediately, the control sticks became heavy and his trusted steed acted like an untamed horse, getting out of Takeru's control. The broken thruster module veered wildly and randomly in the air to Takeru's horror. It completely killed off his momentum as well as the overall balance of his Shiranui.

Takeru frantically brought his TSF into control, avoiding crashing into the nearby building why stayed out of the reach of the nearby BETA by reducing the power output in the left thruster and increasing the power on the right thruster. He could not maintain the NOE flight with just one thruster alone.

Desperately, Takeru steered his machine up in order to avoid the reach of several Tank class BETAs that launched at him like a pack of bloodthirsty leeches.

Beep beep

A siren wail and the monitor screen urgently alarmed Takeru of the laser exposure of his TSF.

"Damn it"

Takeru desperately plunged his machine downward before the Laser classes could score his Shiranui a hit. His TSF controllably spun through the air, miraculously avoid laser beams from afar and the grab of the Tank classes from below. The Left Jump Unit swung wildly in the air without any reservation despite Takeru's wish like an ill-mannered horse. The control of his TSF was getting more and more out of his hands. Though at least, he was able to find out the position of the Magnus Lux and Lux through the incident.

"Damn it"

A Grappler class entered Takeru's vision. It kicked off the ground and leaped at Takeru, dangerously waving its bulky forearm like a sickle.

"Damn itttt"

Set fire to the undamaged right thruster, Takeru rammed his TSF to a nearby house on his left to avoid the grappler. Then twisted the Shiranui's body horizontally, Takeru compelled his trusted steed to run along the building's wall. The right Jump unit was mercilessly abused both as a balancer and a propeller to maintain Takeru's wall running tactic. Concrete dryly cracked and glasses windows disintegrated into fine piece as though melting snow flake, unable to oppose the unworldly force of the Shiranui's wall running.

A tsunami of red suddenly formed at the edge of Takeru's eyesight. An uncountable amount of Tank classes seized the declining speed of the Shiranui, leaping into the air and blocking the Shiranui's running path with their number. The reddened armour of the tank classes overlapped each other as they kicked off the ground, resulting in the creation of an overwhelmed tsunami.

Takeru immediately realized how dire this situation was. Neither can he leap backward to evade that surging tsunami nor can he just simply charge right through it with his current speed.

"Get out of my way,"

Takeru descended on the ground with a single stomp, barely avoid clashing with that giant wave of Tank classes. The red tidal harmlessly descended on the smashed up building, failed to drown the Shiranui with their superior number.

Yet, the Shiranui episodically rocked as several Tank classes managed to grab a hold on its armour during the manoeuvrer. Though immediately, those tanks immediately turned into fine messes as Takeru swiftly squashed and hacked them, shrugging them off from his Shiranui.

This is getting troublesome.

Takeru immediately broke into a run, avoiding being overwhelmed by the massive number of BETA around him and the rain of Tank classes that latched themselves to abandoned buildings.

Silhouettes of grapplers came, barricading the road with their imposing number. They raised their pincers high, ready to strike when Takeru approached them with his TSF.

This time with just one thruster, the normal method of sliding underneath the creature's forearm won't work. The lack of speed and precision in manoeuvrer control will surely kill Takeru if he was to attempt such impossible.

Realizing his shortcoming, Takeru bit his lip as he has no option but to charge straight at them to avoid being overwhelmed by the tsunami of tank classes behind him. Sometime if you want to live, you must choose death itself. This was such a situation.

"Child's play"

…

Suddenly, I heard an auditory hallucination, or so I thought. My intercom was still disconnected. I was still breathing with my mouth, barely able to maintain consciousness against the relapsing PTSD. One step away from falling into the verge of despair, I had an auditory hallucination.

Before I knew it, I have already passed through barricade unscathed. As the result, bewilderment was all I ever felt at this very moment.

A head splitting headache suddenly struck and nearly made me lost sight of my surrounding. My vision gradually turned redder and redder.

That notorious footstep should belong to Ayamine and Ayamine Kei only. Even now I could vividly remember that single time when Ayamine use that miracle footstep to evade Meiya's killing blow, stepping on Meiya's slicing sword to avoid it. Without possessing an innate sense of balance like Ayamine, I gave up on that risky and impossible manoeuvre. Even if I was able to get the timing right, it's still impossible for me to mimic it. I wasn't born with a genius sense of balance like Ayamine.

And despite that, I just replicated it perfectly, stepping on the nearest grappler's smashing down forearm to pass through the barricade.

Several reddened geysers erupted in the next instant, spewing blood all over the Shiranui and repainted the machine with a new imposing colour. Three beheaded grapplers crumbled next to me. They died without able to bring down their pincers at my speeding Shiranui.

It was that sensation. That thing was stirring awake from its sleep.

Damn it. No, no, no…

"Butt out"

A hoarse voice escaped my throat as I angrily hit my head into the monitoring screen. My sight was all flared up with pain. Droplets of crimson blurred a portion of the monitoring screen. But the splitting headache has miraculously subsided drastically. The veil of crimson, too, faded into nothingness in but an instant.

Left evasion and a duckling dive through the incoming Fort Class' legs.

The Shiranui obediently listened to my command, completely out of my expectation. Good, I still have the control.

My mouth suddenly curved as a sense of exhilaration surged through my body. I did it. For the first time, I managed to seal the Murasame to my accordance.

But, the meagre excitement in me died off briefly. My sight suddenly darkened.

Another headache struck, several times worse than the earlier headache.

This time for real, I have truly lost sight of my surrounding. And, I caught a glimpse of something else; something wasn't a part of the reality that I was facing.

Jabbed my control sticks wildly, I barely able to survive attacks came from the surrounding enemies with the intense headache and the hallucination that I saw.

And I thought the headache during those crimson nightmares I had every night was already intense. They were however nothing comparable to this headache that I felt at the moment. It was the kind of pain that make one paralysed, unable to move a muscle.

I am losing it, my consciousness. Tears came out and thoroughly blurred my vision. The Murasame again? No, it's something else.

Huh? What is this? A revolting flood of images dug into my head, separating me apart from the surrounding carnage for good this time. What is this?

In a wink, my entire reality slipped badly. I wasn't me. I was someone else, something else.

Knowledge, experiences, memories…

Then like those illusions were all but a lie, my vision was abruptly restored, reverting back to the carnage that I was a part of it. Hazy with tears it was, but the revolting sight of those crawling monsters confirmed it. I definitely returned to the reality.

…

My breath was as ragged as ever, heavily and unsightly.

The aftermath of the earlier head splitting headache still lingered, rooting inside my head. My cranial cerebrum was furiously revolting against me, demand an immediate rest and attention. My fingers and limbs were numb, as though they were imaginary limbs and fingers.

What happened to me?

I have no idea.

But, they are coming. They are coming at me with killing intent.

"Child's play"

My mouth curved savagely.

My numbed limbs and fingers naturally moved according to my wish, unexpectedly.

The world was repainted in but an instant. Several, dozens of fire-hoses of different sizes spewed red liquid to the air.

This time, my Shiranui was completely painted red with the surrounding monster's blood. Pieces of the gory flesh belonged to the victims plummeted down to the ashen asphalt of Hiragi Highway and eerily stuck inside the clefts between the Shiranui's joints. If someone was to witness such scene and describe it, a rain of blood wasn't a metaphor. It was literally and realistically.

How many tanks and grapplers were killed just now in that mere instant? I have totally lost count. All that I ever know is they were extremely easy to kill, as easy as crush an ant between my fingers.

What's going on?

Why was my head filled with this knowledge? I know exact how much it takes to slay them. I know so many ways to kill them that it's nauseating. How to avoid their strike or how to slip my blades through their defence, I know them all.

Those things just never learned. They came at me once again. I knew it as well. They will crawl at me undauntedly no matter how many of their kind that I slay. They have no fear. Blood and flesh they were born with, they were no living beings. They did not consider themselves as living beings to begin with. Thus, they do not feel pain, nor fear or any other complex emotion.

My Shiranui plunged into action. Evade and counter, kill the enemies through every single opening that I saw, my TSF was like an eyes of a storm. Every single part of my TSF could easily become a deadly weapon. I elbowed, kicked, squashed at the surrounding enemies while executing the killing blow with my knives. The knives in my hands frenziedly moved at an incredible speed. Geysers of blood once again erupted, repainted the world. Were those even my hands that kept on hacking them? Were my hands made of metal from the beginning? I could not tell at all with this numbness. But one thing I knew for sure, even if I wasn't in my top form, those things were merely insects, they do not pose a threat against me.

I pushed my way through their ranks, effortlessly and easily as walking in my own garden. And a very lively La Tomatina festival followed my TSF as though it was the main event of the day. Wherever I went, the crimson liquid that kept those things moving livelily spewed on the dust of Hiragi Highway and repainted my abandoned hometown with a new colour.

XXXXXXXXXX

The worry and shock that the Valkyries had suddenly turned into that of awe.

On their monitoring screen, an allied blue dot mindlessly plunged into the BETA's rank with little reservation or regarding of its safety. Such image drove anxiety into the heart of even composed veterans like Isumi, Hayase and Munakata.

The Valkyries found themselves at the lost of word when the newest data patched to them from the command post regarding Takeru's whereabouts.

Does he have a death wish?

It was the same question that haunted every members of A01 as they were readied to sort out.

We won't able to make it.

Then the moment when that certain blue spot stopped and diminished its speed, everyone held their breath as their eyes transfixed into the blue dot that represented Takeru's Shiranui, expecting for its signal to be at loss at any moment. However, that moment never came.

The speed of the blue dot may have been diminished greatly and it was gradually overwhelmed by the massive red dots from every corners. But not even once, the blue dot stopped moving. It continuously advanced through the ranks of the red dot slowly. Then in a wink, dozens of red dot of different sizes disappeared from the radar scan in an instant. And they continued acceleratedly to disappear in an eerie speed.

What's going on out there?

Nobody has a defined answer for such eerie phenomenon that saved the blue dot. Instead, the anxiety that the members of A01 felt, completely vanished into thin air. It was replaced with hope and exhilaration.

We can save him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A Grappler's forearm struck. I easily brushed it off with my left knife, deflecting the blow sideway. With a barrel roll, I instantly finished the creature off, running my right knife through its flesh and cleanly hacked the creature's head off.

How many did I kill? I could not remember. How long has it been since I first faced them? Did I make through the eight minutes of death? I wasn't sure either. The portion of the monitoring screen that displayed my operation hours was smeared red with my blood. I could not bother to wipe it off to have a better view.

A bunch of red armoured ravenous leeches jumped at me, completely undaunted from the new paint of my armour. As expected, they do not fear.

My metallic arms whirled in a blurry speed. The first tank class on the line was sent rocketing straight to the sky with a single swing from my right forearm armour. The second tank class was elbowed to the ground and then trampled underneath my feet as I made a horizontal spin. The third and the fourth tank was sliced off in mid air and plummeted on the ground in halves. The fifth one was skewered to the ground as I stabbed my left knife into its back after finished my horizontal spin. Subsequently, the first Tank class that was sent flying got staked alive by my right knife the moment it finally landed.

Even at such sight, they were still crawling at me. Tank classes, grapplers, destroyers and Fort classes, even the infantry strand Barrus naris classes and Venator classes came running at my TSF. Normally those small strands wouldn't bother with TSF since they simply have no mean to inflict damage on a TSF. But not this occasion, not when I made myself a flame that attract the night moths that were them. They simply could not resist their basic instinct due to the black box that I installed in my TSF.

Another 160 meters behind the next intersection and I will meet them, the Lux and Magus Lux strands. Might as well preparing myself first before made the turn.

A row of Grappler classes came running at me. Just what I need!

I dove toward the nearest grappler with a single leap. The creature abruptly stopped, raising its pincers high. Same pattern as ever, these things just never learned.

I sank my left knife into the grappler's axilla, rending its joint apart with one clean cut. The creature's pincer lifelessly brushed against my left shoulder armour, striking up some sparks before thudded into the ground.

The foolish creature stubbornly tried to overwhelm me with its weight and struck me down with its remained right pincer. But the grappler last ditch attempt immediately proved to be futile. Wrestled the creature down with my left metallic arm, I performed a half flip over grappler's back and subsequently ran my right knife deep into its back. A bursting fountain of blood oozed out from the long and deep cut that I inflicted on the creature.

It won't be enough to kill a grappler. Somehow, I just knew it. The moment I about to overshoot the grappler, with one airborne horizontal spin, I delivered the killing blow, lopped down the grappler's head taking advantage of the centrifugal force and momentum of my TSF. Skidding and then sank into the asphalt of the highway was all the grappler could do in its last moment.

Grapplers of the same row overshot my TSF at least 19 meters before they successfully braked only to once again chase after my TSF. Futile effort!

Clutching onto the corpse of the beheaded grappler, I broke into the run. Its body was heavier than I thought. The stress that induced on the joints and carbon actuators was colossal. My monitoring screen was totally stacked up with notice and warning. Performance dropped drastically. But this fallen behemoth will make a good shield for us. Hang in there Shiranui, you can do it. No, we can do it, you and I.

An entire squad of Lux and Magnus Lux appeared the moment I made the turn. Their shooting membrane shone brightly, indicating that they were ready to fire any moment. Alarm wailed nosily in my cockpit, alerting me just how dangerous is my position.

These laser strands were notorious for their marksmanship, rendering mankind's aerial attempt useless. And not even once, they mistakenly shot their allies in a friendly fire. And once they already fired, it was impossible to dodge. No machine or human was capable of outrunning the speed of light. But I knew, I will be fine somehow. Such a strange feeling! It's not like I have that many experience, dealing with them or anything. The Bravo platoon that I assigned under Hayase gave me plenty of experience dealing with the BETA's vanguard such as grapplers, tanks, destroyers and fort class. The job of dealing with these laser strands belonged to platoon C most of the time. Even so, I, too, knew just how feeble these things were, just how much it took to slay them. They were no less than insects than those things that were slain by my bloody knives.

Faster Shiranui! We need to close in fast.

A blinding light evaporated my right shoulder armour in an instant. The meat shield wasn't big enough to cover my entire TSF and these things' accuracy was totally off the chart.

Shiranui hang in there.

I made a jump, relying on the carbon actuators in the Shiranui legs instead the jump units while hauling the dead weight meat shield with me into the air.

A score of scorching beam turned the hardened asphalt where I was a second ago into smithereens, no perhaps dust was the appropriate word.

My intuition was right on the mark, they were aiming at my Shiranui's exposed legs. As if I would let them do that. They have already stolen my wings and took the sky from me, now they wanted to take away my legs, deprived the last mean of mobility from me.

We, my TSF and I may not able to dodge something came at us with the speed of light and deadly accuracy, but as long as I got the timing right and my TSF able to respond to my command, dealing with these laser strands should be child's play. Those laser classes' firing angles were extremely narrow. With the mindless crowd of BETA's vanguard chasing after my back and the meat shield that I held, those Lux and Magus Lux won't able to get many clear shot.

Five of the Lux strand had fire. They will take at least 23 seconds to reload. In a meanwhile, I could focus my attention at the rest.

Another 49 meters. Common Shiranui, hang in there.

With a heavy landing, I painfully glided on the rough concrete on all three while shielding myself with the corpse of the dead grappler. The whole world shook and my steed screamed in pain, reminding me of how heavy is this meat shield that I used. In an instant, the mindless insects at my back cut short the distance between us. It was as though they haven't realized that they were getting in the way of the Lux and Magnus Lux.

Good, I could take advantage of this situation as well.

Increasing the pace, I continued to drag the meat shield toward those BETA's firing squads.

34 meters.

Not good, the foremost Magnus Lux will get me first. It way overgrew compared to the rest of the Magnus Lux that I have seen. It naturally received a huge bonus of angle of depression due to its height. It will just fire over my dead weight meat shield. I can't let it shoot a single shot.

Whipped my freed right arm over the meat shield, I kept on running in a crouch dash.

Thud.

That's the sensation. There is no need to confirm the reason for the tremor course through my TSF with visual aid, I could tell it immediately.

The foremost Magus Lux has stumbled on the floor, blowing up dust. Its eyeball look alike, the firing membrane popped. In the middle of its eyeball, a hole dug deep.

I couldn't see where my right knife was anymore. Did it find its way to the creature's cerebral system? Did I overdo it? I thought that the power output of the right arm has dropped way below the optimal level and thus used every carbon actuators within the right arm to throw the knife. It seemed that my judgement was off.

That right knife should be forfeited in this case. I don't have the luxury to look for it inside that Magnus Lux's body. Anyway, even if my combat potential unexpectedly dropped, it wasn't like these insects could win.

14 meters.

9 meters.

5 meters.

I pierced my right fist into the firing membrane of the nearest Lux, skewered the creature almost up to my right elbow. A better shield got!

Immediately, the dead weight that heavily taxed both my TSF's speed and power output was hauled toward the nearest duo Magus Luxes to my left.

They clumsily stumbled, trying to stand up immediately.

Before they could stand up, my remained knife found it way into the eyeball of the first Magus Lux and my right fist dug into the eyeball of the second. Then instantly, I twisted my metallic body, shrugging off the corpses of the Lux and Magnus Lux on my right arm and used the Magnus Lux on my left as my new meat shield.

The world around me painted red again, with my enemies' fluid and gore. The hesitation of my enemies wasn't missed to me. Their firing line was extremely narrow, stuck between their mindless allies behind me and their nearby allies. If only they had some melee weapons, they might able to fend off. But even so, I doubt such effort would be fruitful in the end. I can see them as nothing but insects.

Besides, they wanted the box inside my Shiranui. They lived and died for the substance inside the box. These creatures won't simply wholly evaporate my entire TSF as the result. I doubt that they will do it. Their basic instinct will force them to chip away my mobility and then drag that box out of my TSF even if it killed them.

17 more laser classes and my last objective will be completed.

The laser strands suddenly spread out in a group of two, trying to flank my TSF in a pincer. Not that I will let them do that. This Shiranui of mine beat them in everything, whether it's speed or acceleration or even manoeuvrability.

With the newest meat shield cover my metallic body, I leaped off, arching my knife into a running Magnus Lux.

My entire world shook unceremoniously. It was as though my cockpit was thrown out of my TSF. I was barely able to catch up to the situation as my retinal display skipped frames after frames.

The hell? Impossible…

Without the help of the visual aid from the main cameras, I was able to catch a glimpse of what happened to me, thanks to the notice on my monitoring screen.

Left fist was damaged up to 96%. I could not feel my metallic fingers anymore. Crumbled, deformed and barely hang into the palm were their current state.

Impossible…

I should able to strike first before that Magnus Lux closed down its protective layer like eyelid. Striking that protective layer that toughness boasted to tungsten level and second to diamond only, it wouldn't be weird if my Shiranui was damage. I used the entire house of carbon actuators on the Shiranui body to deliver that strike.

But why? It should be a piece of cake for me to do it. I should be faster.

No wait… why did I think it like that? Why did I believe that I would able to strike first? No, my piloting skill won't add up. I shouldn't able to make such attack in that situation. The Shiranui won't able to do it and I lacked the skill to execute it.

No, this wasn't a time to think about it. I need to assess the situation first.

My Shiranui was lying facedown to the floor. My meat shield was missing with my knife. A cloud of dust resulted from the earlier crash was the only thing that prevented those Laser strands from evaporating me. It meant that the earlier Magnus Lux was trapped with me inside this dust cloud as well.

Sorry, Shiranui. We have to move. Quick!

Scrambled from the cracked floor, I searched for the sight of the Magnus Lux that I failed to kill.

A seismic reaction at my 7 hour. I immediately turned and saw a glowing eyeball wobbled up from the dust.

"Die"

I desperately lanced my damage left fist at the glowing eyeball. There was no time to think.

But a blinding beam sheared through my metallic left arm, evaporating it in front of my eyes. Plasma explosion devoured every molecule belonged to my metallic right arm and momentarily blind my camera sensor.

"Die"

Before the system notice appeared on my monitoring screen, I gouged the steaming eyeball out of the Magnus Lux together with its nerves and inner parts and squashed it with the Shiranui's metallic grip.

The creature fell preyed to gravity, lifelessly buckled to the ground in a thud.

Damn. It got me.

Everything up to the left shoulder was completely disappeared. I couldn't help but grit my teeth in frustration and execute a purging command to the damage left shoulder.

Where are they?

Several seismic reaction detected around my TSF immediately responded to my question.

Not good, the vanguard groups were catching up. And those Laser strands were spreading out to get favourable firing position.

With the remained arm, I hauled the corpse of the Magnus Lux up, using it as my meat shield before the cloud of dust around me started to clear. Before this cloud dispersed, I must get the initiation back.

I frantically plunged out of the smokescreen, chasing after the nearest group of Laser class on my left. With the help of the right Jump unit, I completely caught them off guard through my speed. Before any of them could react, I sent two Lux classes on my path into the air with a kick. Twice the size of a grown man yet deadlier than any AA system in this world they were, suddenly turned into fine pâté on the road of Hiragi ruin. Though, I was quite sure that they were immediately killed the moment my kick connected.

A Magnus Lux stumbled on my path, its firing membrane glowing bright. Not that I will give it the chance to shoot anyway. I tossed the Magnus Lux corpse on my hand at the creature, destabilizing its balance and obstructing its vision. Then whipped a low kick to its right leg, I struck down the heavy laser class to the ground.

My metallic right fist immediately turned into a spear and gouged the firing membrane out of the creature before it could do anything. The creature squirmed violently on the ground as I wasn't able to deliver a killing blow. It seemed that the Shiranui's right arm was worn out more than I've expected.

Die already. I sank my metallic hand deep into the creature's cerebrum through its eyehole, crushing it with a grip.

Huh?

A frightful shudder ran down my spine, compelling me to take immediate evasive manoeuvre.

The moment I took a leap, my right leg was devoured by a blinding white light.

Huh?

My TSF crumbled to the ground the moment it landed, unable to maintain the standing posture with just one leg.

Huh?

I don't get it. I should able to evade that. I even got the timing right. How did they get me?

I panicked. But not toward the death that crept nearer and nearer to me in every second, but at the reason to why I got hit.

Leg joints probably became unresponsive due to those reckless kicks and my abusive running with those dead-weight meat shields. But even so my Shiranui should be more than a match for them…

No… why did I think of it in such direction. When did I begin to think approaching these monsters in nothing but my TSF was normal? When did I begin to think that the Shiranui would be fine even after those exhaustive movements? Shouldn't I already know how dangerous and tough these creatures were during Marimo's and Captain Isumi's lessons? Something's wrong with me. It was as though I wasn't myself anymore.

Tremors channelled through my TSF, pointing out the position of the vanguard's BETA. They were coming. And this time, I have no mean, fighting against them or protecting my life.

Why? Why I can't feel anything regarding those hideous creatures that crawled at my grounded TSF this instant? Shouldn't I be more worry, fear for my own life? Why? Even without any hypnotic suggestion or any injection, I was incredibly calm.

It was as if I was waiting for this moment. It was as if I welcomed death with open arms. Even so, my inner world was anything but a still and serene water surface. Something hot and painful kept on stabbing my chest to no end. What's this feeling?

"I'm sorry"

At this range, neither Sumika nor Kasumi will able to listen to my apology with their psychic power. Neither Yuuko sensei nor Marimo chan will able to listen to it with this disconnected intercom, nor the Valkyries nor Meiya, class rep, Ayamine, Tama, Mikoto nor Yuuhi.

At least the Shiranui was able to hear it. I don't know if it willing to forgive me with what I am about to do though.

I'm a failure of the Valkyries. Do not die in vain, such was our motto…and yet that was what I am doing now.

I dragged out the command board, activating the ultimate commandment for my Shiranui.

Siren wailed and a glass box inside my TSF opened its cover. The red button inside the glass box was the last and ultimate commandment that I will give to my Shiranui.

We shall not suffer. Neither I nor my steed will suffer the fate of being chewed and torn into pieces by our enemies. This button held such power. It was really an ultimate commandment.

"Goodbye… and sorry everyone…"

I am such a selfish person, a scum among scum, the kind of scum that can't even fulfil his promise with girls. I regretfully closed my eyes and raised my hand.

"…gane"

I thought I just heard another auditory hallucination, or not. My intercom was picking up some wireless signal.

Huh?

The earth shook. But it wasn't a tremor, a seismic reaction from the crawling BETA.

I then heard an explosion and subsequently a welcoming murderous sound of machine gun.

"Shi…gane"

My wireless earpiece statically rang an anxiousness voice, full of worry, full of maternal care, full of hope and desperation.

"Shirogane"

I knew this voice.

The resigned eyes that closed once again opened, in horror.

"What are you doing here?"

A fear instilled voice escaped my vocal cord. Even in the face of death, I wasn't trembled. Even in the hour of despair, I could not feel fear. Yet, I was trembled at this very moment.

Through my retinal display, a lone figure of a Gekishin can be seen.