NTL-001
────Kyoko! We're gonna get caught at this rate!
────Haa… haa… W-wait… I can't push the output any higher!
The frantic voices of the two young girls echoed noisily over the voice channel. Holding back the retreating 2nd Platoon right now were Pera and Kyoko. They were the youngest and least experienced among the platoon members. Naturally, their piloting was the most unskilled and sluggish.
Netoru, at the very front, glanced back and confirmed Pera and Kyoko barely keeping up from behind. He could see Kyoko's Holy Knight slowing down noticeably. She must have hit her physical limit.
'…This isn't good.'
The entire 2nd Platoon had already slowed down for those two. They couldn't afford to slow any further. Or maybe it was already too late. At this pace, the pursuing bugs would catch up soon enough.
To shake them off somehow, they needed to pick up speed here. But was that even possible? If they sped up more, it wouldn't just be Pera and Kyoko left behind—the other platoon members would fall back too, unable to keep up. The bugs chasing 2nd Platoon were that fast.
Unlike the infiltration-type Centipedes, these pursuit-type Centipedes lacked the ability to burrow underground, but they were specialized for mobility over other Centipedes. In fact, their movement speed outpaced most Holy Knights. That's why the distance was closing even as Pera and Kyoko gave it everything they had.
────Blackie! What the hell are we gonna do!? We'll really get grabbed by those bug bastards at this rate!
Rin, who had been following close, sounded urgent too, clearly worried about the pair. But Netoru had no clear solution here either. The pursuit Centipedes were fast enough already, and there were just too damn many of them.
Unlike the infiltration types armed with machine guns, these pursuit types' main weapon was acidic venom. They had biological organs called poison fangs that bit into enemies and injected toxin. Sure, they'd sacrificed even basic firearms for mobility, so one or two weren't much of a threat. But when dozens, hundreds swarmed in? That changed everything.
Holy Knights were fundamentally humanoid bio-weapons. Unlike mechanical robots made of steel, they could be poisoned. Get bitten even a couple times, and they'd crumble fast.
Could they really fend off dozens or hundreds without getting bitten once? A bite wouldn't destroy the Holy Knight outright with poison, but once mobility started failing, it was over.
────…Netoru. I think I'm at my limit too.
A taciturn voice cut in. It was Shuichiro, the quietest of the platoon members. If even that boy, who'd been plugging away silently, admitted he was struggling, it meant he truly was at his limit.
…So running like this is impossible after all.
Netoru checked the screen linking Rien's real-time bug observations. Countless red dots trailed the platoon on the map. And more were popping up one by one—through the massive underground tunnels that monster had carved.
"…Commander. Keep the situation briefing coming. What's the exact count of observed bugs so far?"
────Observed pursuit Centipedes total 79. Long-range bombardment Spiders are showing up one by one too. It's a total shitshow.
Fine, the bombardment Spiders aside… 79 pursuit Centipedes? As expected, way too many. No way one full-strength platoon of four could handle that. And above all…
That massive bug was the real problem. The pit they'd seen from the observation tower last time must've been its doing. Netoru hadn't even imagined something like that existed.
'That's why they kept it hidden.'
Now that he'd seen it up close, it was easy to understand why Rien had tried to keep it secret. Announcing something like that would've tanked the unit's morale.
But still… it would've been better than total ignorance. At least for Netoru. If he'd known about it sooner, he could've brainstormed some countermeasures.
Caught off-guard by the enemy's identity, Netoru clicked his tongue softly and cut off the voice channel from the other platoon members. What came next wouldn't do them any good to hear.
"…Commander. Did you just say that massive bug's name is Death Worm?"
────…Yes. That's correct.
"Why didn't you tell me when I asked? You seemed to know something when I got the report."
────…I'm sorry.
Even with the commander on the line, his words came out sharp in this mess. It seemed like a burrowing bug, undetectable by observation—a special specimen like a natural disaster that could strike anytime.
Netoru got her judgment to some extent. Telling the unit about it would've just bred fear and stress. Better to stay oblivious than live in constant dread of it bursting from below. Especially in the already chaotic atmosphere—she must've agonized over it.
But Netoru had no intention of endorsing her call.
"How much record is there on the Death Worm right now? Anything useful?"
────…Unfortunately, pretty much nothing useful. No combat reports since first sighted in Zone 47.
"So you don't even know exactly what kind of armament that monster has?"
────No….
Bugs generally equipped weapons suited to their bodies: Locusts with light machine guns, Spiders with heavy artillery, infiltration Centipedes with tail-mounted medium machine guns.
So what the hell was a monster that looked 100 meters long packing? Just imagining it made his vision swim.
'…How the hell did a beast like that stay unknown this long?'
From what he'd heard, the unit had pulled out of Zone 47 because of this Death Worm—a big deal, yet ridiculously, Netoru hadn't known a thing about it until now. Information flow was shit in this world to begin with. No TV; just radio-like broadcasts and newspapers at best. And with the war on, info control was tighter than ever.
"…Where's the Death Worm at now?"
────…No unusual movement so far. No idea why it's staying put, but it's a relief. If it chased us too, we'd be in deep shit.
But that didn't improve their situation.
"How long until the other platoon members link up with us?"
────…Minimum 20 minutes for the other platoons to join. Can you hold out that long?
…20 minutes. They'd get caught way before that. Hell, they'd be nabbed in under a minute at this rate.
He was about to say it was impossible when—
"…."
Watching the bugs' movements on the linked map, Netoru furrowed his brow. For some reason, the pursuing Centipedes seemed to have slowed a bit. The ones that had been right on their tails moments ago had somehow pulled back.
…What the hell?
Did the bugs tire out? Bugs were living creatures, after all—stamina existed. Long advances visibly dropped their combat power sometimes.
But this felt… off. Hopefully a misread, but it looked like they were deliberately letting the platoon go. Even if they were tired, so was everyone here. Pera's Kyoko Holy Knight was lagging, and Shuichiro's Izumi was falling behind too.
Netoru and even Rin had slowed to match them… yet instead of closing in, the distance was widening?
No matter how he sliced it, something was wrong. He couldn't take it at face value.
As he racked his brain for alternatives—
"…No way."
A grainy flash hit him. A hypothesis he hated to entertain, but had to.
"…Are those bastards purposely letting us go?"
Pursuit Centipedes. Maybe they were doing exactly that—pursuing, period. Like they were tracking just to see where the hostiles went.
Why? Probably to pinpoint the 393rd Unit's base this time. Otherwise, they wouldn't let up so blatantly.
Bugs' detection sucked, generally. Commanders like Rien used magic to track them, but bugs had no such tech. That's why most Holy Knight units preferred interception—using terrain advantages spotted in advance. It also hid base locations.
But if the base got exposed? Disaster. Worst case, long-range bombardment Spiders with howitzers could shell them out of nowhere.
Running like this wouldn't expose it immediately, but it'd narrow the search area for sure. That had to be stopped.
So the dilemma didn't last. His decision was swift.
Netoru radioed Rien.
"…Commander. We need to change the rendezvous point."
────Huh? Why all of a sudden…?
"I'll explain en route. Point 97 sounds good."
────W-wait! That's a totally different direction! We'll get caught before linking up!
To Rien's panicked voice, Netoru yanked Seres's control stick and replied softly.
"Leave that to me. I'll make it work."