Reckless Charge Through the Swarm
The locusts' body length was roughly five meters. Compared to other bugs, they were relatively small. And even matched against a Holy Knight, they were the same size. Moreover, Seres's Holy Knight was on the larger side compared to others. So as long as they could handle the hail of bullets pouring down, breaking through the locusts blocking their path wouldn't be difficult.
The mana had warped the air like shattered glass, forming an invisible shield that blocked the bullets. Crushed pitifully from the tip by the unseen physical force, they finally lost all momentum and clattered harmlessly to the ground.
Without allowing even a single shot to touch them, Seres's Holy Knight—still accelerating—slammed straight into the locusts' front line.
The result of failing to halt that charge was spectacular. The massive impact sent the front-line locusts bouncing off each other like rubber balls, scattering in every direction.
But Netoru didn't stop there. Far from slowing, the speed—like a runaway train with no brakes—only increased. His target was the spiders lurking in the rear, using the locusts as a wall.
—Stab!
Nothing stood in his way. Netoru slid forward, thrusting his sword straight into the spider's torso. The spider, mid-reload, was impaled and shoved back ten meters alongside Seres's Holy Knight before its breath gave out.
A single thrust after dashing hundreds of meters. The power packed into the sword tip was unimaginable. But the result was clear: chunks of flesh and blood sprayed wildly, splattering the Holy Knight's body.
"……"
Seres was speechless at the outcome of that brutal charge. Her mind was a whirlwind. Is this guy sane? How does anyone even think to fight like this?
In truth, charging with Mana Release wasn't unfamiliar to Seres. The knight order's famous tactic involved the entire unit forming a giant spear to pierce bullet-riddled battlefields and shatter enemy lines. But charging solo like this? Knights who did that were rare. At least, she'd never experienced it.
Janzersen had been savage too, but never this recklessly suicidal.
"…What the hell is this?"
Maybe that's why the words slipped out. Is he telling me this now? That he's not the guy I thought he was. That he's even more violent than I imagined.
"…Ugh!"
Seres gasped for breath, her stamina drained by the absurd charge, but Netoru kept pushing the Holy Knight onward. Gritting her teeth, she followed his lead. Enemies still swarmed around them. The squad members were joining in from behind, but all fire was now focused on Seres's Holy Knight.
—Screeech!
The nearby spiders' cannons whirred into motion without a hint of panic from the reckless dash spanning hundreds of meters. Any normal creature would retreat in fear, but these things lacked even that basic instinct. Proving it, the spiders swiftly reloaded right there, moving with mechanical precision in perfect unison.
Soon, their barrels converged on one spot.
"……"
Clunk. An eerie mechanical click echoed, followed by the clear sound of shells loading inside the spiders. Seres tensed instinctively. Her heart pounded. Her mouth went dry, cold sweat trickling down her spine.
Can we dodge that? No—too late to dodge.
As she clenched her teeth at the realization—
——!
Netoru kicked off the ground without a trace of hesitation, like something devoid of fear. Through their coupling, his emotions flowed in: utterly calm. A mindset of forged steel.
Then, the spiders targeting Seres's Holy Knight unleashed their barrage in unison.
——Boom!
The roar shook the air, the incoming shells etching into her vision like slow motion. No dodging this. Point-blank range, practically. But strangely, her fear evaporated. Dominated by the emotions flowing from Netoru via coupling, Seres focused solely on her role.
Here, trust your partner.
Childhood training flooded her mind, making her obediently accept his mana. She had to draw out the Holy Knight's power exactly as he wished. That was a female pilot's duty.
And as if rewarding her effort, Netoru swung the Holy Knight's sword horizontally—just as the shells fired.
Along the blade's arc, the air seemed to split with sharp, slender lines.
Slash—Boom!
A sound of something being cleaved. Then, less than a second later, explosions rained down behind them. Dirt erupted, pummeling the Holy Knight nonstop, while a scorching hot blast howled past.
But Seres's Holy Knight emerged unscathed. The perfectly timed barrage had been bisected mid-air by Netoru's strike, detonating harmlessly elsewhere.
"……"
An unbelievable feat. Seres's eyes widened. Something no one without absolute confidence in their skills could attempt. Even for a knight dipping into superhuman realms, visually tracking and slashing incoming shells was insane—especially multiple ones.
It was impressive, sure. But more than awe, it was just baffling.
No matter how fearless you are…
But Seres couldn't say a word. She didn't have the breath for complaints. Netoru gave her no respite.
"Hah… haaah… ngh!"
Her back trembled. In that brief moment, he'd cranked output so high her lower abdomen tingled. Yet his mana kept pounding her Mana Nerve System relentlessly.
Not enough? Still?
The mana flooded in relentlessly, piercing her lower abdomen against her will. With Netoru fully seizing control of the Mana Path, she had no way to resist. All she could do was accept and adapt.
Astounded by the sheer volume, Seres focused on soothing his savage mana. But it kept surging like muddy floodwaters—no stopping it.
This is why I hated yielding control of the Mana Path…
Handing over full control meant being dragged along at his whim. Pure hell for Seres, who'd dominated it for years.
—Screech!?
Normally, you'd throttle back for a gasping partner. But he maintained peak output, slicing spiders one by one. They had no time to reload now that the front line was breached—only to be massacred.
Even as locusts swarmed to protect the spiders, the Holy Knight bulldozed forward like a berserker. Each blocker met a flashing sword, locust torsos spectacularly severed amid sprays of blood.
At some point, deeming Mana Release unnecessary, Netoru took the bullets head-on. As he'd judged, the locusts' light machine guns couldn't meaningfully damage Seres's Holy Knight. Their shells pinged off the thick armor harmlessly.
Poor fuel efficiency, but top-tier defense.
Finally, after crushing the last observed spiders underfoot—
"Hoo… haa…."
Only then did Seres feel the crushing pressure from Netoru ease. The fight was effectively over. The squad could handle cleanup. Sure enough, with the spiders wiped out, they were already mopping up.
"Ngh…."
Her body went limp without warning, and Seres slumped over the cockpit. Hot breaths poured from her mouth. Sweat had turned the cockpit into a sauna.
Slumped there, she turned her head slightly. Netoru sat poised above, looking down imperiously.
He'd terrified her moments ago. Why now did that tanned face just piss her off? Staring at it, Seres spoke.
"You. Aren't you way too fearless? Five spiders firing at once, and you think to slash them…? You're insane."
"'Cause I figured I could pull it off."
"……"
Too nonchalant to call arrogant. It baffled Seres. This is beyond fearless. One slip, and those shells would've hit point-blank. Her Holy Knight had superior armor, but a barrage like that up close? Instant shutdown.
"……Haa."
Just a sigh. No energy to argue.
Karen's been fighting a guy like this all along?
Guilt crushed her heart. If a battle-hardened vet like her was this wrecked…
If we had to swap, maybe I should've taken Netoru from the start.
Rien's judgment on this was obvious. Coupling partner: Netoru, locked in. No refusing for the unit's sake.
How the hell did I end up like this?
She'd planned to crush him casually under swapping pretense. Never dreamed she'd be utterly dominated by some institute-made pilot.
Unbelievable. She'd underestimated him, sure—but his ability felt unnaturally off. A pilot strong-arming a Saint Mishar knightess? And why join a dump like the 393rd?
Even Rien might not have known.
Regret and questions swirled as—
"……?"
Slumped in the cockpit, Seres belatedly noticed Netoru toying with her hair. He'd let go of the controls and was just stroking it.
Narrowing her eyes at him, she asked.
"…What are you doing right now?"
"Most guys'd love it, but hair this long must be a pain to manage, right?"
"……"
Just idle curiosity? Fine. Whatever—Seres gave up trying to understand him.
She ignored him, but he added:
"Good work out there, Seres."
Too simplistic for such savage piloting, but she let out a quiet sigh.
"…As long as you know."
Like it or not, submission was the play now. This battle had taught her what kind of man he was.