Inside the screen, a storm-like battle was unfolding.
Slashing, blocking, thrusting, dodging. It looked as if both fighters were reading each other’s moves, continuously exchanging barely-surviving attacks and defenses...
To my eyes, the orange machine—Astraea—seemed to still have plenty of room to maneuver.
Well, there were a few moments where I thought, “If it were me, I’d make this move and turn the tide,” but there’s no real basis for that.
Suddenly, the long sword of the yellow and black machine—Indra—disassembled. No, all the parts were connected by thin wires.
"A serpentine sword..."
I muttered under my breath, hearing Carol’s words while focusing on the sword in Indra’s hands.
What had been a longsword just moments ago transformed into something like a whip, chasing down Astraea.
It wasn’t just any whip—the sword’s blade was surrounded by the lightning of the Gear Spell [Thunderbolt]. It could be called a lightning whip.
Whipping the serpentine sword covered in lightning, it fired bolts of lightning from the sword’s tip.
Hundreds of lightning bolts rained down over the battlefield. Is that what the title [Hundred Thunder] comes from?
However, Astraea dodged all the lightning with unbelievable precision, moving as if dancing, narrowly avoiding every strike.
Incredible...! Lightning is not easy to predict, and even if you could, being able to move a Frame Gear like your own limbs to that extent...
I had become completely captivated by Astraea’s movements.
I want to fight against that person too. I might not win, but I want to test my strength. Can I reach that level? No, I will make it!
Suddenly, the two swords on Astraea’s back detached with a clink.
The two swords floated in mid-air, spinning around Astraea.
"Flying Sword, Fragarach...!"
Shelly’s whisper snapped me out of my thoughts.
[Flying Sword Fragarach].
It’s one of the special Frame Gear equipment that allows the user to freely control swords floating in mid-air.
Several Machinist Troopers used this during the 'Machinist War Ragnarok.'
However, they say that using the Flying Sword Fragarach requires intense training. I heard that the first Duke could control dozens of these swords, moving them freely like a meteor shower...
"Wow..."
Astraea was controlling just two swords, but when combined with the two swords in her hands, it made four swords, and they began launching a continuous attack on Indra. It was like a storm of swords.
The lightning-charged serpentine sword’s tip was deflected by the two Flying Swords Fragarach, and in that opening, Astraea dove in close and struck Indra with the swords she held in both hands.
Indra managed to block one with its shield, but it couldn’t dodge the remaining swords, and received a solid blow to the side.
Realizing that the serpentine sword wasn’t suited for close combat, Indra switched it back to a longsword form and used its sword and shield to try to fend off Astraea’s attacks.
But gradually, Indra was being pushed back by the storm of four swords.
"Now that’s the true power of the [Sword Empress]."
As Carol said, Astraea controlled the four swords with precision, relentlessly pushing Indra into a corner, embodying her title perfectly.
Soon, Indra’s shield was destroyed, and its sword was sent flying. The next moment, the four shining swords simultaneously cut off Indra’s limbs.
In a simulated battle in the Frame Unit, the match is decided either by surrender or by the opponent becoming unable to continue fighting.
There are several ways to determine a defeat: destroying the cockpit, destroying the head, or disabling the machine through partial destruction.
"That’s enough! The winner is Zeldigard Minas Lestia!"
The auditorium erupted in deafening cheers as Senior Lestia, who had displayed overwhelming strength, claimed victory.
Amazing. Indra was strong too. Yet, she won without taking a single hit. This is the true power of the first-ranked.
The two egg-shaped Frame Units next to the stage slowly opened, and two girls emerged from inside.
One was a tall girl with brown hair. She wore a skirt and spats, a loose tie, and had short hair that gave off a wild vibe. She looked like she’d just bitten into a sour lemon, so she must be Senior Rimiera Limitecus, who piloted Indra. Her tie was purple. She must be a senior.
The other was a beautiful, slender girl with long blonde hair and pale skin. She wore a skirt and an orange tie. Her dignified posture and sharp eyes captivated anyone who looked at her. She was like a princess, no, more fittingly a knight princess.
That must be Senior Lestia. She really looks like a princess... but is she really a princess?
"Tch, the serpentine sword didn’t work. I thought it would go better..."
"You’ve gone and tried something too fancy. With that, using your usual iron hammer would’ve been far more effective."
"Say that again, you...!"
The microphone picked up their conversation, but it didn’t seem to carry a hostile atmosphere. Senior Rimiera Limitecus looked a bit awkward, though.
"That concludes the entrance ceremony. First-year students, please move to the small auditorium, as details for your academy life will be explained there."
At the announcer’s words, I opened my smartphone and saw an email from the academy.
To the small auditorium? It seems like an orientation for academy life, probably covering things like the curriculum and textbook distribution.
"Wow, Senior Lestia is amazing. I might set up my own Frame Gear like that."
During the move, still caught up in the excitement of the match, Carol said this in a slightly excited tone. Her own Frame Gear? Wait, Carol has her own Frame Gear!?
"Huh? Hahaha, no, no. Well, for the virtual space Frame Gear data, each student is provided with one Frame Gear to use for [Star Duel]. You can customize it however you want to make the most battle-efficient machine. I think we’ll be getting ours soon."
"Oh! So that’s what it is!"
They’re giving us a Frame Unit to fight in a virtual space, right!?
So we can create a machine that suits our preferences... I think I’d be more suited for fighting with an Armed Gear, but after watching that match, I’m getting a little excited about this too.
"I think I want to customize it for long-range shooting."
"But if you do that, you won’t be able to use good equipment unless your rank is high, you know? You need to customize it to win first..."
Shelly and Carol were excitedly discussing what kind of machine they would make.
What would I do... Should I specialize in close combat, or go for a dual-wielding style like Senior Lestia? I’m also a bit intrigued by transforming machines. Hmmm, it’s a tough decision.
As I was thinking about this, we arrived at the small auditorium.
As expected, it was an orientation about our upcoming academy life and the courses.
Basically, the classes are credit-based. We were given detailed materials that summarized the lecture outlines and course plans.
So, we decide which classes to take based on this...
There are mandatory subjects and elective ones, but the elective subjects cover a wide range... What’s this, 'Great Tree Sea Language'?
It looks like we’ll be learning the language of a clan living in the 'Great Tree Sea' to the south of this continent... Will I ever have a chance to use it?
We’re required to take the mandatory courses, but for the electives, it seems we can try them out for about a week before committing. If we don’t like them, we can change.
Basically, mornings are for lectures, and afternoons are for practical classes.
I’m kind of interested in the elective 'Martial Arts.' 'Beast Magic Studies' also looks interesting. Magic-related classes seem like they’ll be useful for the future.
The mandatory class 'Armed Gear / Frame Gear Training' seems very fitting for a Machinist Academy.
"Now, we will send the new Frame Gear data to each of your terminals. Please select one from the basic Frame, which has no special equipment other than the initial gear. Don’t worry, you can change it later."
Oh! It’s finally here!
Following the instructions from the staff, I operated my smartphone and reached the screen where I could select a Frame. There are so many options...
■ Basic Frames ■
[Letter Frame]
[Titan Frame]
[Lightning Frame]
[Clock Frame]
[Mystic Frame]
[Custom Frame]
...
...
Umm... The Letter Frame is a balanced type, the Titan Frame is a power type, the Lightning Frame is a high-mobility type, the Clock Frame is a precision-type, the Mystic Frame is a magical combat type, and the Custom Frame is a completely free-form type. There are others too...
Power types lack speed, and speed types lack power. All types, except for the balanced ones, have their pros and cons...
The Custom Frame lets you build a Frame from scratch, but you’d need specialized knowledge to handle that.
The representative Frame Gears are easy to understand, but it seems that combined transformation types are Custom Frames.
Well, I don’t think I’ll go for a transformation type. That’s more useful in team battles, and... I’m interested in it, but...
Hmm, if I match my style, it’d be either the Letter Frame or the Lightning Frame...
If I had to choose, it’d probably be the Lightning Frame. It’s weaker in terms of durability, but as my master always says, "If you don’t get hit, it doesn’t matter."
When I selected the Lightning Frame, the screen moved to the frame name registration.
A name for my machine... I’m in trouble; I’m apparently bad at naming...
Oh, there’s a random name generator button. I’ll just pick something I like randomly.
Corolla, Prius, Stepwagon... Hmm, none of those feel right...
I stared at the changing screen with a furrowed brow.
Apparently, I can change the name later, so I guess it doesn’t really matter what I choose now... Oh?
When I saw that name, I instinctively thought, "This is it."
[Lucifer].
Alright, that’s the one I’ll go with.
No comments:
Post a Comment