Chapter 204: The Land That Flows Like a River - 6
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 204: The Land That Flows Like a River - 6
Projectile weapons were trash, hardly worthy of being called weapons at all. This was a widely known, long-established fact—common sense, even.
The air, saturated with mana, naturally repelled anything that tried to pass through it. Even an arrow, trying to slip through the gaps, was jarringly loud for its slow speed. Those with a keen Qi Sense could easily detect it, and with a timely reaction, deflect it.
The same went for bullets. Noisier than anything else, these weapons had always been criticized for their pathetic lethality. Unless fired at point-blank range, they couldn't even harm an ordinary person. They were nothing more than a swarm of annoyingly buzzing flies.
But the Military State had a slightly different idea.
If a mere common soldier could annoyingly buzz around an absolute powerhouse, wasn't that a tremendous advantage?
And just as the Military State was starting to see the benefits, a star appeared as if from nowhere: Gunmaster Historia.
Bang, bang.
As we hid inside the container, bullets flew in intermittently, as if to remind us of their presence just when we were about to forget.
Of course, the bullets couldn't even pierce the container's outer wall. But we couldn't let our guard down. Just as my mind began to relax, a deafening explosion rang out, and the container dented inward. A bullet from Historia.
"A swarm of annoying flies, with a single hornet hidden among them... is that what they said? Hmm. A fitting description."
As Tyr clenched her fist, the darkness flowing along the floor retrieved the dented bullet and brought it inside the container. In a leisurely tone, Tyr critiqued the incoming rounds.
"Even with the sun shining, to think it could dent steel bearing my mark. And from that distance, no less."
"Yeah. It's the perfected version of the Military State's tactics. She's not called the Daughter of the Military State for nothing."
The Regressor grumbled, shooting a sharp glare at me.
"At this point, I'm curious what kind of weird shit went down in Hamelin. What the hell did you do to make such an enemy? Just a few days ago, she just told us to get lost and cleared the way, but now a Six General is risking her life to hold us back?"
"It's a personal matter, I tell you. Historia is probably the only one who wants to catch me."
"What did you do?"
"Ah, well. It's a long story. It was when I was sixteen. In the prime of our youth, at the Military State's secondary military school, where they tried to forge our young lives into weapons, we..."
I settled in, recalling old memories. Tyr had already turned her ear toward me, ready to listen intently.
The brilliant memories of my school days. Hamelin, perched on a low hill, and the river murmuring below. The memories and dreams that lingered there...
"Just the conclusion, keep it simple."
"Tsk. No fun."
"Is this the time for fun? The enemy is right on our doorstep!"
"Alright, alright."
I shrugged and explained.
"In Hamelin, they were trying to use the students like bullets, you see? That got the students pretty pissed off, so they used the tactics and combat skills they learned from the Military State against the Military State. They organized raids, set bases on fire, staged sit-ins, and after taking over the training camp, they decided to execute the top-ranked student as an example."
The Regressor, who had been listening quietly, flinched as she realized who that story was about.
Wait. The top-ranked student, that's him, isn't it? He has a past where he was almost executed by his friends?
See? I told you it wasn't a simple story.
The Regressor asked, her tone now much more cautious.
"...And?"
"On second thought, killing a fellow student wouldn't look good, would it? The fight against the Military State is a struggle, but attacking the top student is just anger steeped in an inferiority complex, right? The message doesn't land. The message. Realizing this at the last moment, my classmates chose to commit suicide instead of fighting back."
"..."
"And in the middle of all that, they told me to join them in suicide. A life-or-death crisis. Wow. But with a flash of brilliance at the last second, I faked my death and got out."
He's been a crazy bastard since he was a student. Then again, with everyone else being the way they are, I guess it's not like he'd be the only normal one.
What an upsetting thing to say. Isn't it unfair? The 2nd and 3rd place students at Hamelin were too strong for them to even think about touching. I was just the easy target, the weak #1 student.
At this point, aren't I the victim? Is being weak a crime?
"I barely survived and was about to head back, but then the Military State, not wanting to take responsibility, pointed the finger at me as the culprit. Can you believe how unfair that is? All I did was have a whistle in my mouth instead of a gag, and suddenly it was like I led everyone with that whistle."
"I get the gist. In any case, the Military State is the bad guy."
"You'd do well to remember that. If you ever find something that's bizarrely evil, the Military State probably made it."
Fortunately, the Regressor didn't seem too interested in this particular matter. Having a history of toppling the Military State in a previous timeline, she seemed to just let minor incidents like this slide.
Quite a tragic past... Then again, I guess everyone has a story. It's better than the Gunmaster's or Lankart's, at least. He doesn't cause as much damage.
And she was being a little considerate of me.
"Anyway, their intention is obvious."
"They're not trying to mow us down, nor are they trying to close in. It's pretty clear they intend to stall for time until their main force joins them."
"So it's either break through or wait."
While the two modern people were contemplating, the vampire, whose war doctrines were stuck several centuries in the past, made a bold proposal.
"Let us break through. In war, strength is first and foremost, and momentum is second. To only retreat is to be cornered."
It was a decent method. If one had the power, smashing and crushing the enemy was always the right answer.
"Well, it's not a bad idea. Want to give it a try?"
"Wait but a moment. I shall return before the tea grows cold."
Ooh, the confidence. As I looked up at her in admiration, Tyr gave a relaxed shrug.
Be it bullets or anything else, they alone cannot stop me. Go on, shoot as you please.
Without a moment's hesitation, Tyr stepped forward. She stood exposed on the flat, river-like land. The next moment, she covered her face with her palm and grimaced.
A hail of bullets rained down on her. Though Tyr wasn't particularly tall, the volley hammered the vampire's body. Unable to react while shielding her eyes, Tyr was battered by the downpour of bullets.
Of course, mere bullets could not harm her.
But what stopped Tyr wasn't the bullets.
"...This cursed sun."
Not even a few minutes had passed. Tyr, who had intended to advance with her parasol, couldn't bear it and returned.
I offered the still-warm tea to the dejected Tyr.
"The tea is definitely still warm. Care for a sip?"
A few dented bullets were stuck in her body. To be precise, they were stuck in the darkness enveloping her body, but still.
As I plucked the bullets one by one from the body of a squinting Tyr, she muttered in frustration.
"...Of all the luck, they are to the east, so the sunlight is strong. This cursed sun."
"Isn't it a bit much to curse someone who diligently shows up for work from the east every day?"
"Dost thou dare side with the sun before me?"
If not for that sun, I would have already taken you where you wish to go. I could have brushed aside such paltry hindrances!
You know what? Thinking about it that way, the sun does seem a little out of line. Hey, mister. You can take a day off, can't you? Just go back to sleep for a bit.
Wait, calm down. We die without the sun. It's the sunlight that nurtures this land, not to mention humans.
Phew. I was about to be overwritten by vampire logic. Calm down.
"If not for the sunlight seeping through the gaps in my darkness, I would not even have felt an itch from those scraps of iron."
"Huh? So you're itchy now?"
Tyr, fuming with displeasure, finally realized what the sensation she was feeling all over her body was. It was a stimulus too small and weak to be pain, yet it existed, an unavoidable, microscopic sensation that got on her nerves.
Ah, it was an itch. Tyr murmured at the unfamiliar feeling.
"...Come to think of it, it is strangely itchy. How bizarre. Such a sensation should not exist for me."
"For Tyr, 'itchy' means it's affecting her power. Are these not ordinary bullets? Hold on."
I carefully examined a bullet I had pulled from Tyr's body. On the flattened slug, a pure white crystal sparkled like a star in the faint light. Even without tasting it, I knew the identity of that familiar white powder.
Still, it was better to taste it. I touched the bullet to my tongue. The undiluted salty taste was immediate.
Tyr asked, horrified.
"Hu?! What is this shameless act?"
"Ptooey. Just as I thought, salt bullets... Huh? What's so shameless about checking a bullet?"
"No, it is nothing."
To put something that has touched another's body into his mouth without a second thought... Humans these days are quite bold.
Even with mind-reading, I couldn't quite grasp the vampire mindset. Maybe because the only pleasure in their lives is drinking blood, they care more about things touching their mouths than baring their chests (bones).
Anyway. Salt, with its white gleam, had been used since ancient times to ward off evil. It was only natural that a folk remedy existed where you throw salt at a vampire and they don't like it.
To be fair, humans don't like having salt thrown at them either, but whatever.
"To create and supply special ammunition like salt bullets in such a short time. I suppose that's the Military State for you."
"...It is fine. Once the sun rises a little higher, I shall have no great difficulty in dealing with them."
"They're probably counting on that. They've even circled around to our front, putting the wind and the sun at their backs. It feels like they could hit us just by throwing the bullets, let alone shooting them."
Without her shroud of darkness, Tyr's advance speed was that of an infantryman at best. To the Military State's Gunner Corps, she was just a good target.
A practice dummy for live-fire exercises—unbreakable, yet psychologically immense.
For the next two or three hours, we couldn't use the cheat-like tactic of having Tyr break through their lines.
"Well then, is it my turn?"
A voice, cool and sharp as a blade against skin, cut through the air. The Regressor's entire body was tense as she stared into the distance.
"I need to make them wary. I'll take down the Gunmaster if I can, and if not, I'll at least wound her. That way, they won't try any cheap tricks like sending out detachments or scouts in the pursuit that follows."
I understood why the Regressor was annoyed. Detachments and scouts were forces you only deployed when you were confident you wouldn't be defeated in detail even if you split your forces.
I understood her feelings, but I immediately shook my head.
"Is it necessary?"
"What do you mean, 'is it necessary'?"
"I mean, there's no reason to force a breakthrough in a disadvantageous situation, right? There's no tactical advantage, and it's obvious they're stalling for time, even preparing salt bullets."
"So what, we just sit here and take it? Until their main force arrives?"
"Nope."
Of course not. I grinned.
"We have to take it well."
They're across the road, planning to wear down our nerves with volley fire. If that's their plan for now, we'll use it against them.
They'll shoot if someone pokes their head out? Fine, go ahead and shoot.
If you can find any satisfaction in it, that is!
"Come on out, Fatzzy!"
"Woof!"
Our team's secret weapon, finally revealed, howled. It was Azzy, looking chubby from wearing layers of cloth armor. As I swung my arm wide, Azzy spun in a circle.
It looked more like a dog rolling over than an elegant turn, but thanks to the layers of cloth armor, her presence was immense. It was like a short-haired dog had become a long-haired one with its fur puffed out. If I rolled her now, she looked like she could roll to the ends of the earth.
"This is an age where even dogs wear clothes. So it wouldn't be strange for them to have dog armor!"
"Woof! It's tight!"
"Endure it. You need this so you won't get hurt as much while you're making a mess of things over there!"
"Woof, I'll endure! For my share!"
"Your share? What share?"
Azzy tilted her head, her eyes bright and clear. I couldn't read her thoughts, neither through mind-reading nor her actions.
"Anyway, you get the gist, right? It's time to let the whole world know how rowdy you can be!"
"Awoooooo!"
Azzy shot off like an arrow. Immediately, bullets started flying in her direction. I heard a sound like rainfall as something zipped past behind us.
But this was Azzy, who could dodge or withstand bullets even bare-bodied. The bullets couldn't even hit her paw prints. The few that did simply bounced off her armor. Azzy zig-zagged across the field, closing the distance to the enemy.
Screams and shouts erupted. We had succeeded in causing a commotion.
"How boisterous. Indeed, it is unparalleled for harassment... but Hu, even so, the Dog King cannot harm humans, can she?"
"That's right. They'll stop shooting soon enough."
No sooner had I spoken than the gunfire died down. A strange silence fell. Azzy, with nothing to do, stood there looking bewildered, while the other side was forcing themselves to ignore her. Two groups with no intention of attacking each other were now in a bizarre standoff.
"...Then is this not utterly useless?"
"Right. Azzy can't attack... Azzy, that is."
Was it because she sensed something ominous in my words? The Regressor flinched and looked around. Then, feeling a sense of foreboding, she grabbed me by the collar.
"...Wait, hey. Didn't you ask me for something like a bomb yesterday?"
"Yes."
"Where is it?"
"On Azzy's back."
The other side seemed to realize something too, and they unleashed a volley of bullets as if to drive her away. But it was too late. Azzy was already upon them.
BOOOOOM.
A massive explosion roared from the ground just ahead of them.