I Reincarnated as the Captain of a Battleship in a Robot Anime, but at This Rate, I’m Going to Be Assassinated – Chapter 51

Chapter 51: There Are Plenty of Enemies in the World That You Don’t Need To Get Serious With. There Are Plenty of Guys Who Are Just Right To Deal With
[space_man][space_man]”Why can’t you take down the traitors?!”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Even when Anferu’s roar erupted, it was drowned out by the chaotic voices coming in from everywhere. Still, the soldiers, unable to excuse themselves by saying they missed their superior’s voice, had no choice but to answer forcibly.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Friendly ships are in the way! Ships that have taken engine hits are being used as shields……!”
[space_man][space_man]”There’s jamming in the airspace! Identification signals are getting mixed up……!”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Anferu wanted to throw the guys in front of him out into space without spacesuits for their cliché-like answers, but he couldn’t do that either.
[space_man][space_man]He, too, was a leader of the military. He could understand that the current fleet’s morale was low. The act of binding the soldiers with the appalling deeds their commander-in-chief had committed was not something that could be done quickly.
[space_man][space_man]Slowly infiltrate, then make them realize that they are not at fault, that they were chosen, and turn them into accomplices in an atmosphere of complacency.
[space_man][space_man]Anferu himself had carried out that very method. But if you’re interrupted before you can do that, it becomes difficult.
[space_man][space_man]You don’t need hypnosis to brainwash people. All you need is a little time and to know when to use the carrot and the stick.
[space_man][space_man]He’d just given them the stick. Now he had to give them the carrot. If he was interrupted in doing that, this is what would happen.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]’Damn it…… I could just annihilate them along with the friendly forces here, but that would reduce the number of pawns I have. I need my army to get rid of that old Fauden geezer. But before that, I can’t have them coming back to their senses…… That Space Pirates bunch definitely needs to be wiped out here.’
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Anferu’s mind raced, focused on achieving his ambitions.
[space_man][space_man]However, being basically a martial type, he prioritized defeating the enemy above all else. But the friendly forces were useless right now. It was possible to force them into obedience by force, but doing so now would result in heavy losses.
[space_man][space_man]Therefore, he had no choice but to wait and see. If this man were to order the entire fleet to retreat here, it might have been recounted as a wise decision, but Anferu was also a reckless man, and the option of ordering such a thing had been the first to be discarded.
[space_man][space_man]Unfortunately, if he were to issue a retreat order, it would only be at the very moment his own life was in danger.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”You traitor…… Jowain. You’ve forgotten the kindness I showed you.”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]There was no way for him to know that the man was now a different person.
[space_man][space_man]Because the situation was far exceeding Anferu’s expectations.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”What about the Teurugia squad?! Even if there’s jamming, you can have them operate offline! Deploy them with lances and shields! Take up a linear infantry formation! Meet them head-on!”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]That order was logical.
[space_man][space_man]If the enemy was going to use mobility as a weapon, they should ideally respond with mobility as well, but unfortunately, their own formation did not allow for that. The Teurugia and other mobile weapons were also hesitant to move, fearing friendly fire.
[space_man][space_man]Then they should just meet the enemy head-on. Linear infantry was an old-fashioned formation, and it had become almost meaningless in the face of modern weapons whose striking power had been enhanced to the extreme, but even in the age of mobile weapons, defensive capabilities such as sturdy shields and barriers had also improved.
[space_man][space_man]It would have some effect. Even so, confronting battleships was a terrifying prospect.
[space_man][space_man]Therefore, Anferu deliberately ignored intercepting the enemy fleet.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Hit the mobile weapons! Take down the Trismegistus! If we take that down, the enemy’s momentum will disappear! It’s just a machine after all!”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]That point was also correct.
[space_man][space_man]Anferu was realistic, and his ambitions were also in line with that. Intelligence, tactics…… but it wasn’t something he could have predicted that it wouldn’t work in this situation.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”It’s not a strategic weapon, is it…… Can a single high-spec machine really change the battlefield?!”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]That murmur was due to his absolute confidence in Babel, the symbol of power he had created, a big cannon, and his own pride.
[space_man][space_man]But he couldn’t fire that big cannon right now. He realized belatedly that such a large, crude weapon was incapable of such fine adjustments, and he stamped his feet.
[space_man][space_man]If he could, he’d really like to wipe out his own allies along with the enemy.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]’Really, I’m such an unlucky man! And it’s all because Jowain betrayed me!’
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]The person he really wanted to kill right now was Jowain.
[space_man][space_man]It was the stress of things not going his way.
[space_man][space_man]And then there was the modified battleship that was running rampant across the battlefield…… At first glance, you wouldn’t know it was once the Mirandora, but if you looked closely, you could certainly see it if you removed the parts that had been added to its characteristic diamond-shaped hull.
[space_man][space_man]Those things were conspicuously holding back, disrupting the fleet’s movements. Friendly ships had their propulsion systems like engines and their main guns destroyed, becoming mere drifting hulks of iron. The enemy was using them as shields, skillfully approaching and retreating.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”They’re deliberately not sinking our ships, using them as shields. Regular soldiers can’t shoot their allies at a time like this…… This isn’t some war game……!”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Anferu gritted his teeth.
[space_man][space_man]They were an eyesore. But he couldn’t eliminate them. They were annoyingly flitting about.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Take them down no matter what……! Take down those fools no matter what!”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Anferu was unconsciously chasing after the Mirandora.
[space_man][space_man]It was because it was those nuisances who were on board, and at the same time, it was his ingrained instinct as a soldier to take down enemy ships.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Take them down! Take them down!”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Whether those words were directed at the Mirandora or the Trismegistus,
[space_man][space_man]there was no way his subordinates could know.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]***
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]The Trismegistus was performing eerily well.
[space_man][space_man]Not only the beams emitted from the robe-shaped armor, but the giant manipulators could also be used for purposes other than beam barriers. This was because these fists could easily grab a single Teurugia. If he grabbed one at random and swung it around like a shield, the enemy would hesitate to attack to a surprising degree.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”It’s a bit cowardly, but……!”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]He didn’t want to kill the enemy out of his own volition either. Of course, if they resisted fiercely and came at him, he would take combat action to protect his own life. After all, he wasn’t the only one here; the girl was on board too.
[space_man][space_man]And one of Yuuki’s goals was to reunite her with her father. Besides, the more he fought, the more he would be helping his other comrades.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Anish, who was escorting him, provided good support. Mark, the captain, was leading his own unit in free combat, and the other destroyer units were also deployed individually.
[space_man][space_man]In the battle between mobile weapons, they still had the upper hand. If they took advantage of the Trismegistus’s jamming, which was causing malfunctions in radar and other systems, they could overcome the difference in numbers.
[space_man][space_man]And, as expected, the tactic of using enemy units as shields was effective in this battlefield.
[space_man][space_man]But even so, the bold enemy would charge in without hesitation.
[space_man][space_man]However……
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”I said, get out of the way!”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]He could easily grab them with his remaining open fist. If he activated a very low-power beam barrier there, the enemy unit’s surface armor would melt, making it impossible for it to function properly. This was convenient.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Yuuki, the enemy has become a wall!”
[space_man][space_man]”Then just throw them away!”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]In response to Franny’s voice, Yuuki saw the enemy taking up a strange formation. Each of them was holding up a shield, forming a giant wall. Did they think they could block his way with that?
[space_man][space_man]Yuuki throws the Rabi Reivu he had just captured. Just by doing that, the wall crumbles, and they switch to trying to protect their thrown comrade.
[space_man][space_man]He takes aim at that point with his beam and shoots through the shield.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]『Don’t let your guard down!』
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Several Rabi Reivu charged in, but Anish’s bazooka smashed their shields, and the impact sent them and their comrades flying backward. The few remaining units were also shot down by a second direct hit from the bazooka.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Sorry! Thank you!”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]No matter how advantageous the Trismegistus’s performance made them, there were things outside his awareness. Anish was good at covering for that.
[space_man][space_man]Yuuki quickly thanked Anish and lined the Trismegistus up right next to her unit.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]『How is Thoth doing?』
[space_man][space_man]”He’s still excited. But I can hold him back. I don’t sense the Doctor or anyone like that. But he’s on alert for something else……”
[space_man][space_man]”Big! Enemy! There! Goetia!”
[space_man][space_man]”Yuuki, Thoth says there’s an enemy in that big cannon. That means it’s my father, right? Can we get closer? We can’t get our voices to reach him otherwise, can we?”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Franny was curled up in the back seat, holding Thoth.
[space_man][space_man]She was urging the New Balance officers to surrender as much as possible, but no soldiers had responded yet. It could be assumed that they were more afraid of their own families than they didn’t believe her.
[space_man][space_man]And as for her, she had a hunch that the one doing this was her own father.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”I’m sure he’ll ignore me, but there are a lot of things I need to say to my father. If it’s impossible, it’s fine, but if it’s possible……”
[space_man][space_man]”No, let’s try it. I think we can make it with the Trismegistus. It doesn’t look like the Captain and the others are thinking about retreating yet, and my orders are to taunt them as much as possible. Anish, come with me, I need your support!”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Saying that, Yuuki once again destroyed the captured Rabi Reivu’s weapons with his fist beam and tossed it to Anish’s unit.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Besides, the guy who was trying to destroy our planet is there too. I want to give him a piece of my mind!”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Yuuki once again fires countless beams from the robe-shaped armor to keep the enemy in check. Then, with his shield still up, he heads straight for Babel. Anish’s unit also escorted him, and he could see some of his allies following suit.
[space_man][space_man]At the same time, the enemy’s defense efforts seemed to have regained some morale from here, making it impossible to break through easily.
[space_man][space_man]As expected, they must be getting serious now that their commander is here.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Get out of the way! Do you want to be murderers?!”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Franny’s dignified voice, however, seemed to be falling on deaf ears.
[space_man][space_man]The pilots who were providing close escort were Anferu’s favorites.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Yuuki!”
[space_man][space_man]”Sorry, but I’m taking them down!”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]He intercepts the enemy’s simultaneous fire by deploying beam barriers in both hands. The barriers were well over a hundred meters in diameter, which made them very conspicuous in space, but he didn’t care about that.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Move it! Ojō-sama is coming through!”
[space_man][space_man]”Father! Come out! How dare you commit such an atrocity, such a devilish act! Tell me what you’re thinking! Why are you trying to kill us?! No matter what your answer is, I’m going to sever our parent-child relationship, but I’ll at least listen to your reasons! Come out, you coward! Is that the kind of leader who leads an organization?!”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Franny shouted as if to vent all her pent-up frustration.
[space_man][space_man]Still, there was no reply.
[space_man][space_man]Then maybe they should force their way in and make him talk. Just as Yuuki was thinking that, it happened.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Goetia! Goetia! Kuruzo!”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Thoth’s excitement intensifies.
[space_man][space_man]Something was wrong with the Trismegistus too. Its output was increasing on its own, as if it was getting excited in the same way.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”What the?!”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]His vision distorts.
[space_man][space_man]No, it’s the space in front of the Trismegistus that’s distorting. He knows it’s a warp-out phenomenon.
[space_man][space_man]And as it intensifies, Thoth’s excitement grows even stronger.
[space_man][space_man]Like a candy sculpture melting, like glass warping from heat. As space twists, a jet-black arm stretches out as if crawling out of it.
[space_man][space_man]Slowly, as if emerging from a dim abyss, it revealed itself.
[space_man][space_man]A disc like a full moon shone on its head, and below it, a face with sharp, beak-like protrusions seemed to give the faceless form some kind of expression. The torso had a simple shape, with smooth armor reminiscent of a male statue, while the lower body was covered in armor plates that looked like either hakama or a skirt, and it held a slender rod in its right hand.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”A black…… Trismegistus……?”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]They didn’t look alike. It was clearly a different entity, yet Yuuki couldn’t help but utter those words.
[space_man][space_man]He thought the thing in front of him was the Trismegistus.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]『To the very end.』
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]He hears a voice. An old man’s voice. It’s Fauden’s voice.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]『How far will you drag me down, curse of the past? The sin I created.』
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]But Yuuki judged that the machine in front of him was unmanned.
[space_man][space_man]He didn’t know why. He just felt it.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]『That’s why I have to erase you, your very existence……! Goetia, do it.』
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Obeying that order, the black Trismegistus…… pounces.
[space_man][space_man]Yuuki also thrusts his fist forward.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Don’t talk like that!”