Chapter 7: Pierce the Floating, Dull-Colored Polyhedron!
[space_man][space_man]Judging from the distance, if we advance to the rocky area now, we can aim for the gap when the Aberrations around the Spirit Gate are drawn to the main knight order led by Commander Xenos.
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[space_man][space_man]I grip the butt of the Crushing Armament “Thunder Spear” in my right hand, using it as a cane to raise the Clawsolas and turn around, but… Perhaps intending to assess the situation since it’s about half an hour earlier than the scheduled time, Lloyd’s Clawsolas is still kneeling.
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[space_man][space_man]『Soldiers value speed above all else…』
[space_man][space_man]『What’s that?』
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[space_man][space_man]Revia, who made a puzzled sound, didn’t understand, but it seems that the Lunavadis siblings, whose ancestors were the Yagyu clan, understood. The younger sister, who favors her older brother, makes a disgruntled sound.
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[space_man][space_man]『There’s also a saying that haste makes waste.』
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[space_man][space_man]『…It’s not wise to waste time unnecessarily, Eleia. There’s a possibility that the enemy attacked earlier than expected because they don’t want us to get close to the Spirit Gate.』
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[space_man][space_man]In that case, if the location of the engagement and the destruction target are too far apart, we won’t be able to induce panic in the enemy with a surprise attack, but… Once things have progressed this far, it’s difficult to change the plan. We have no choice but to proceed as planned.
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[space_man][space_man]Lloyd, who came to the same conclusion, admonishes his younger sister, stands up Clawsolas Unit 2, and turns the Clawsolas’ pseudo-eyeballs toward the scout soldiers gathered nearby.
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[space_man][space_man]『Thank you for guiding us.』
[space_man][space_man]”Lord Lloyd, Lord Claude, may fortune be with you…”
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[space_man][space_man]I was addressed with an honorific that felt somewhat out of place, but since the unknown scout captain had a serious expression, I nodded my Clawsolas’ head. We start running along the river in the Great Forest, heading upstream.
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[space_man][space_man]Probably, no matter how careful we are, we can’t deceive the eyes of the smaller creatures within their alert network, so we have no choice but to close the remaining distance in one go.
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[space_man][space_man]『Just to be sure, let me confirm… Lord Claude, our objective is to destroy the Spirit Gate, correct?』
[space_man][space_man]『I understand. We can ignore the Earth Dragon Drake that’s stationed there, right?』
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]After all, the primary objective of the expedition is to destroy the foothold of the “Hour of Ruin,” and that takes precedence over everything else. Once it’s established within the country, various Aberrations, big and small, will pour out from it, so we need to destroy it before it becomes functional.
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[space_man][space_man]According to the prior agreement, after we and the silver-haired siblings carry out the lightning operation with two Clawsolas units, we’re supposed to join up with the main force and take down the large Earth Dragon with all available Clawsolas units.
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[space_man][space_man]『This is unexpectedly troublesome.』
[space_man][space_man]”Gugauuu!?”
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[space_man][space_man]While muttering, I deliver a knee kick to the eight-meter-long gray bear that jumps out from between the trees diagonally ahead. I then thrust the Thunder Spear into the fallen bear, finishing it off.
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[space_man][space_man]Lloyd and the others’ Clawsolas units also skillfully dodge the charge of a boar-type magical beast, classified as a medium-sized Aberration. They release an electric shock from their left hand as they pass by, killing it.
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[space_man][space_man]『…Revia, can you use magic even with the Clawsolas?』
[space_man][space_man]『Yeah, but if I don’t limit the power, I’ll run out of fuel quickly.』
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[space_man][space_man]I sigh, thinking I should have asked about that beforehand. I increase the Clawsolas’ speed to shake off the smaller and medium-sized creatures that have noticed us and are gathering.
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[space_man][space_man]Even though they’re smaller than the giant knights, if we’re swarmed, we’ll be unable to move and get killed. We can’t underestimate them just because they’re small fry. When the Clawsolas were first deployed in actual combat, there were many such cases of deaths in various countries.
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[space_man][space_man]Therefore, I realize the importance of having cavalry and infantry accompany us. I kick away a small magical beast that was nearby and continue forward. My vision opens up, and we emerge onto a vast rocky area filled with clear spring water at our feet.
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[space_man][space_man]Apparently, many Aberrations have gone out to meet the main force of the knight order, but… In addition to the four-legged Earth Dragon Drake, which is larger than us and seems to be over twenty meters tall, there are several medium and small magical beasts stationed here.
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[space_man][space_man]『I’ll wipe out the small fry all at once, Claude. Hold out both your hands!』
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[space_man][space_man]Following Revia’s voice in my ear, I thrust the Thunder Spear into the ground and hold out both palms of the Clawsolas. The surrounding wind instantly gathers, forming a high-density compressed air projectile.
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[space_man][space_man]『Cut them down, Air Bullet Burst!』
[space_man][space_man]『Whoa!?』
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[space_man][space_man]Is it due to the influence of the magic she’s using? While my body, connected to the giant knight, feels a loss of vitality （Magic power?） and is bewildered, the wind bullet flies in a straight line and explodes above the Aberrations’ heads.
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[space_man][space_man]””Gyaaaaaah!?”
[space_man][space_man]””Gi, Giiiiiyaaaah””
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[space_man][space_man]Countless wind blades slice through the magical beasts of medium size and below, sending up a cloud of blood. The moment the shining, dull-colored floating polyhedron at the center of the giant magic circle is revealed, Lloyd’s Clawsolas Unit 2, armed with a long weapon, charges forward!
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[space_man][space_man]『I’ll finish it in one blow.』
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[space_man][space_man]He shouts, crushing the bloodied corpses of the smaller creatures underfoot. His Clawsolas charges towards the suspicious object and thrusts the Thunder Spear with the fuse connected into it.
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[space_man][space_man]Immediately afterward, a roar and explosion occur, shattering the floating polyhedron, the core of the Spirit Gate, into pieces… but…
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[space_man][space_man]『Brother!』
[space_man][space_man]”GuruoOOOOOOO!”
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[space_man][space_man]With an irritated roar, the Earth Dragon turns around, and a powerful tail swipe, backed by its weight, strikes Clawsolas Unit 2 directly.
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[space_man][space_man]『Guoooooh!?』
[space_man][space_man]『Kyaaaaaah!』
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[space_man][space_man]『Lloyd-san!』
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[space_man][space_man]Reacting to the sound of the impact and Revia’s voice, I run the Clawsolas and cut in between Lloyd and the others, who are being blown away but manage to roll away and create some distance, and the Earth Dragon. Glancing at his Clawsolas, I see red, blood-like magic fluid leaking from various parts.
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[space_man][space_man]『Are you alright, Lloyd-dono?』
[space_man][space_man]『Ugh, I can move, but it’s barely functional… I got a little impatient.』
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[space_man][space_man]Clawsolas Unit 2 stands up, thrusting its iron sword into the ground, but two medium-sized dinosaurs are closing in from the left and right, trying to pincer them.
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[space_man][space_man]””Garuuuuu!”
[space_man][space_man]『Tch, take care of one yourself.』
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[space_man][space_man]I instantly thrust the Thunder Spear at the dinosaur on the right, piercing its chest and flinging it away. When I turn to Lloyd and the others, they have already extinguished the life of the remaining one with lightning magic. However, the most troublesome Earth Dragon is still alive, so the situation remains critical.
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[space_man][space_man]The Earth Dragon Drake, its mouth filled with hellfire, growls lowly and slowly opens its jaws to breathe a scorching breath.