Chapter 57
Chapter 57
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: It Actually Works (1)
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[Five minutes ago, the US Congress.]
"What the hell happened, President Luigi!"
"......."
Standing at the podium in the US Congress, President Luigi silently kept checking his smartphone, ignoring the barrage of questions from the congressmen directed at him.
Was he ignoring the congressmen?
No.
The congressmen knew full well that his fixation on the smartphone was his way of grasping the situation in real time.
"Why the hell did Korea's S-Rank Iron Blood attack the Master?!"
Even so, if the congressmen—even those from his own party—were raising their voices like this, it was because—
"No, seriously, why...?"
One. Pure, genuine bewilderment.
"Does that Iron Blood woman have no sanity? Acting like this? Is she insane?"
"Humans need some principle to their actions—this is just like an orangutan lashing out because someone swung a fist at it!"
"Hey, ease up on the orangutan talk."
"Ah, if it sounds racist..."
"She's worse than an orangutan."
These men, who had climbed to the politically elevated positions of senators, simply couldn't wrap their heads around it.
Blue Lightning's actions could at least be understood through the lens of his sense of justice, but Iron Blood's motives? No matter how they looked at it, there was nothing comprehensible there.
Doubts were inevitable.
"President Luigi! If you know something, you have to tell us right now!"
The second reason.
"You must know why Iron Blood attacked the Master!"
It was an offensive, not out of curiosity, but to cast suspicion.
"Donald..."
President Luigi set down his smartphone and gritted his teeth at the shouting blond giant of a senator pointing accusingly at him.
"If you can't figure out the reason, what are you going to do about it?"
"If the President of the United States doesn't even know why a foreign S-Rank is acting this way, how can we survive in this Hunter era?!"
"In this Hunter era, I've recruited the strongest Hunter as an ally."
"What if that Hunter can't even protect his own body?!"
Senator Donald pounded his chest and bellowed.
"What if he's just one frail human who needs help from others?! Is he still the strongest Hunter?!"
"Even after conquering three—no, four—S-Rank Towers?"
"Those aren't American Towers!"
"......."
President Luigi glanced briefly at the cameras installed in the congress hall.
Some of them had blatantly turned away from him, focusing on the congressmen raising their voices—most of them zeroed in on Senator Donald.
"...For now."
The moment President Luigi opened his mouth, suppressing his irritation—
Kaboom!
A massive explosion erupted on the live broadcast screen covering the scene.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The helicopter's rotors shattered, sending it spinning wildly as it plummeted toward the sea.
"!!"
"What the...!"
In the sudden chaos, President Luigi quickly scanned the congressmen.
Among those who had been shouting at him, there was one man who had remained utterly silent.
A faint smirk.
He stared at the helicopter crashing into the sea, his lip curling for a split second before he schooled his expression.
It was a fleeting moment, but President Luigi caught it.
The emergence of a Hunter who needed a new ranking.
Movements suggesting not staying in Korea, but coming to America.
The anxiety that stirred among America's existing S-Ranks.
And the behind-the-scenes machinations born from that anxiety.
"You...!"
It felt like a single scenario unfolding, but President Luigi could do nothing but grip his smartphone tightly.
No matter that he was the President—even for a helicopter plummeting into the ocean with someone aboard, all he could do was pray—
Kwaaaaaang!!
A colossal shadow surging from the depths of the sea.
Something that shot out cables like fishing lines to snag the helicopter in one go, then slowly settled onto the ocean surface, churning up waves as it revealed itself.
"W-What is that...?!"
"A warship?!"
It was a battleship.
The steel behemoth floating on the sea had appeared as if bursting straight up from the depths.
"...That thing."
President Luigi sensed something familiar yet alien in its silhouette.
"...Iowa?"
Some might think of the state of Iowa.
"Iowa?"
"An Iowa-class battleship?"
"No way."
The older senators, those with white hair nearing eighty, shot to their feet, eyes wide in shock.
"...No way."
President Luigi voiced the thought rising from his gut, based on his instincts and experience.
"How could the non-existent number five...?"
Iowa-class battleship No. 5, [Illinois].
Appearing near Jeju waters, off the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "...It actually works."
Summon successful.
Construction had been completed, but I hadn't expected the summoning to happen like this.
"Master, are you alright?"
"Yeah. Fine. It was like riding the wildest amusement park ride for the first time in my life."
"Master..."
"That's how fine I am-nyang."
Kiharu patted my shoulder and channeled her mana.
I'd nearly slammed into the spinning helicopter's wall, but the pain vanished instantly thanks to Kiharu's healing.
Dizziness too.
"Commander. Look, light's coming from the bridge?"
"Let's go."
Following Dry's guidance, I bolted straight for the bridge.
I'd only ever seen it in records and had zero interest in the field, but to me, the one who had summoned this battleship, it was visible.
This way.
A silvery haze beckoning me to the bridge—the rightful place of this ship's master.
Following the Milky Way-like trail left by passing fairies, I sprinted across the deck, flew up the stairs, flung open the door, and reached the bridge in no time.
"...Whoa."
A scene more overwhelming than anything from the movies.
"I've only seen records myself, so I'm no expert, but... is this really the ship they were planning to build in the 1940s?"
Elaine marveled at the bridge's equipment as she inspected the interior.
Even a civilian could tell from the pilot seats alone that "pushing random buttons would be bad," but the [Battleship Illinois] bridge was crammed with gauges and buttons everywhere.
"Kiharu. Don't climb anywhere."
"I'm not an actual cat."
Kiharu perched by the windows and scanned ahead.
Meanwhile, Dry—who might be the most familiar with this environment—
"Commander."
Placed her hand on a radar-like panel and let out a hollow chuckle.
"You really just summoned a battleship? Nothing else?"
"'Just' a battleship?"
"I mean, I figured there'd be some management AI inside a battleship, or maybe a machine girl version of an AI. Like an android aide or something."
"If you wanted a robot-type companion, we can try for that next time, but this was summoned as our 'base' from the start."
There were plenty of games that "moe-ified" ships into cute girls.
I'd even dabbled in one back in the day.
But what I'd actually summoned was the battleship itself, pure and simple.
Iowa-class No. 5, planned in reality but canceled and scrapped—Illinois.
Now floating on the sea like it had been freshly built in modern times.
The exterior matched the historical design, but the internals were packed with cutting-edge tech.
If I had to compare it to a car, it was like a company recreating a WWII-era car body for an event but stuffing it with the latest engine and tech.
"Commander. Do you know how to pilot this thing?"
Dry tapped the radar cautiously.
"Should I?"
"Can you?"
"It's not so much 'can' as 'have to somehow.' Good thing I can connect, and the battleship operation manual is syncing to my head right now."
"...Sync it fully first. But no rush right now, so take it easy."
I plopped down in the captain's chair with my smartphone in hand.
"Fine control might be tricky, but there's one thing I can definitely handle right now."
"What...?"
"Incoming."
Toward Jeju Island.
"That crazy bitch is running across the ocean to chase us."
Iron Blood was coming.
"Dropping the helicopter wasn't enough, and even summoning a battleship like this doesn't stop her? Someone must've threatened to leak her Yasu tape or something if she doesn't kill me."
Otherwise, there'd be no reason to charge like that.
"Master. Shall I go out?"
"No, Elaine. We just summoned our little sister for the first time in a while—let the little sister handle it."
Rumble rumble rumble.
The Illinois advanced forward.
Silently, as if resolved to do its duty, it began steaming toward the Pacific.
"Time to test the firepower. Perfect—she's conveniently marked as an 'enemy' right now."
Maybe because it detected Iron Blood charging with hostility.
One button lit up, and I pressed it.
That instant.
Screeeeech.
"...Huh?"
Something that shouldn't have moved... did.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Insane."
A battleship appearing on the sea, heading toward America.
Iron Blood sprinting across the ocean to chase it.
"Darlam! T-That thing is real...!"
Blue Lightning was powerless in Iron Blood's mad dash.
He couldn't sprout wings like some, or run at that speed—unless there was a power line connected—
"Submarine cable!!"
Blue Lightning bolted to the nearest utility pole.
He sent current surging along the high-voltage lines, eyeing the cable stretching out to sea.
"...Ah!"
No good.
He'd barely reached the submarine cable, but even hopping along the seafloor line wouldn't intersect the battleship's path.
"Damn it... Huh?"
He'd thought maybe blasting lightning to fry the ship's electronics.
Then—
"That's... mana?"
The battleship's hull was flowing with an enormous amount of mana, visible to the naked eye.
As if the ship itself were an Awakener—a Hunter at S-Rank or higher.
"What the...?"
Pah-bang!
Iron Blood kicked off the sea and leaped high.
Her combat boots, thrusting downward, brimmed with massive mana—aiming to land on the deck and punch a hole through the ship.
The moment Iron Blood soared even higher than the bridge, hanging in midair—
Flash.
Without a screech, something whipped its head toward her in an instant.
"...Main guns?"
Kwaaaaaaaaaang!!!
With a blast of blue mana light, a mana cannon of output he'd never seen before engulfed Iron Blood in the sky.
Mana artillery like the breath of a dragon or boss monster from an S-Rank Tower.
In that blaze of light, Blue Lightning saw it.
Iron Blood's mana glow—from her feet to the crown of her head, enveloping her entire body—fading away bit by bit.
"Iron Blood's light... it's going out...!"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "......."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Auto-Combat Activated