Kays Translations

Chapter 208: The Final Move

“Isamu!”

“Ah, Anne… I made it, ahhh…!”

Just as they managed to slip into the city of Meraja, Annemarie dashed toward Isamu as he exited the cockpit.

Arriving ahead with Eto and others, she used a letter of authorization from Samuel to assert her noble status as the eldest daughter of a noble family, explaining the situation to the lord and the guards as they waited for Isamu and his group to arrive.

“I’m so glad… that you’re safe…”

“Sorry for worrying you. But it’s all fine now.”

As she pressed her tearful face into Isamu’s chest, he gently stroked Anne-Marie’s head and spoke reassuringly. Perched on his shoulder, Orihime also gave Annemarie a gentle pat on the head with her tail, as if to say, “I’m here, so don’t worry.”

“Hehe, thank you, Orihime.”

“Nyaa~”

Annemarie narrowed her eyes and stroked Orihime’s cheek, and in return, Orihime licked away the remaining traces of tears on Annemarie’s face.

“Matsumoto-dono, it’s a relief to see you safe. But to think that a magic giant golem would really attack…”

After Annemarie calmed down, someone approached Isamu and spoke to him.

Looking toward the voice, Isamu saw two men bow slightly and approach.

“I am Mariente Melche, lord of these lands. I’ve been honored with a viscount title from His Majesty, the King.”

The first man to introduce himself was a middle-aged gentleman dressed in a fine shirt and a light burgundy coat. He had well-groomed mustache and beard.

“I am Esteban, the captain of the knights serving the Melche family. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

The second man, standing by Mariente’s side, gave a knightly salute and introduced himself. He appeared earnest, clad in light armor.

“It’s an honor. Nice to meet you, Lord Melche and Captain Esteban. I’m Isamu Matsumoto, a wanderer.”

Isamu had acquired several titles—company president, magic advisor, and fiancé to a viscount’s eldest daughter—but chose to introduce himself as simply a wanderer, which seemed like the most straightforward approach.

“Thank you for responding to Anne’s request. You really saved us.”

“No, we should be the ones thanking you. Even after the recent uproar in Avalushi, we never imagined we’d face an even larger, simultaneous invasion by magic giant golems…”

“Indeed. If you hadn’t informed us, this city might have fallen in no time.”

As they shook hands, both men from the Melche family expressed their gratitude to Isamu.

“No, no, it’s not as if we’ve completely driven them off yet…”

For now, they’d managed to fend off a surprise attack, but nearly half of the enemy’s first-generation soldiers remained. Soon, a rear guard of cavalry was expected to close in as well. Just as Isamu pointed out, the situation was still far from settled.

“Besides, there’s no hope of holding off the enemy from the royal capital…” 

Isamu grimaced as he said this.

Here in Meraja, they had barely managed to hold the line, and on the southern front in Kapolfi, border lords Balsham and Innocenti were likely mobilizing to reclaim their territory based on the information they’d received. However, the Zun main forces had likely already set their sights on Ratchelio, the distant royal capital. The distance was simply too great, and the disparity in power too wide, to launch a preemptive strike against them.

Moreover, Zun’s main force of over 20,000 troops was still on the move, poised for invasion. Even if they managed to hold Meraja and Kapolfi and smoothly coordinate reinforcements from the Kingdom of Stahlen, it was uncertain if it would be enough in time.

“That’s simply asking for too much. It was our nation’s complacency that led to this situation, after all. We owe you thanks, not blame.”

With a pained look, Mariente shifted the topic, aiming to lift Isamu’s spirits. 

“So, what’s the plan from here? I assume you’re not intending to just hunker down and defend forever?”

“No. Before the enemy cavalry arrives, I want to thin out their numbers of magic golems a bit more. Could we possibly have your knights assist us with this?”

“Of course. Just tell us what needs to be done.”

“Well, we’re going to try a little harassment. While both sides have magic golems, ours and theirs operate differently. We’ll take advantage of that difference.”

Isamu grinned slyly as he spoke.

After a brief ten-minute rest, Isamu and his group sprang into action. They assembled a team of five second-generation golems, five stationed knights, and one magic transport vehicle. This unit then launched a sortie from Meraja.

This maneuver caught the eye of Igor’s forces, who were regrouping around 500 meters away.

“What!? The Avalushi are coming out? And with so few of them? Are they insane?”

Igor rose in astonishment upon receiving the scout’s report. There was an undeniable power gap between first- and second-generation golems. With equally skilled operators, even two second-generation units could struggle to defeat a single first-generation one.

“They must know this, surely… No matter, if they’re coming to us, that’s just as well. Prepare to engage!”

“Understood!”

While skeptical, Igor issued the order to intercept.

“The enemy’s advancing… Start off with weaker attacks, and when they get close, shift to full strength without holding back!”

From a compact, trailer-mounted magic transport vehicle, Isamu issued commands. The trailer model, designed to carry magical golems, was lighter than usual and allowed for more speed, albeit with rougher handling compared to the standard Schwarzkatz model.

The second-generation soldiers nodded at Isamu’s instructions.

When the gap between forces closed to around 300 meters, Isamu’s team halted. The cavalry dismounted and quickly set up something on the ground. Meanwhile, Zun’s magic golem forces continued their advance.

At around 200 meters, a sound like *pop!* rang out from Isamu’s position, and something was fired in unison. The projectiles traced an arc, landing and rolling along the ground for about 150 meters before bursting with a loud *bang!*, scattering a silvery powder into the air.

“What’s this!?”

The sudden haze in front took the first-generation soldiers by surprise.

They slowed their pace, cautiously advancing into the mist.

“…Visibility’s a bit rough, but nothing major.”

“Yeah, breathing’s fine too, so it doesn’t seem to be poison.”

“Dammit, that startled me. All right, let’s go!”

Realizing the powder posed no immediate threat, the first-generation soldiers resumed their pace.

Then, a round of explosive shells was launched in a horizontal barrage.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!*

While none of the blasts struck directly, the explosions scattered around the field, forcing the advancing units to halt.

After two rounds, the cavalry and transport began to retreat.

“Of course, it was magic equipment. Annoying!”

“But looks like they’re out of ammo now. Pursue them!”

The Zun magic golems, thinking their opponent’s attacks were depleted, surged forward to close the distance.

Suddenly, an Avalushi golem cut in, blocking their path and standing between them and the fleeing cavalry.

“You weak imitation!”

The first-generation soldier at the front swung a massive sword down in a diagonal slash at the second-generation golem. The second-generation unit sidestepped smoothly, evading the blow. The blade, now angled downward, reversed direction and slashed horizontally, but the second-generation unit leaped backward to dodge again.

“Oh, come on, what’s taking so long?”

A voice, tinged with annoyance, echoed from another first-generation soldier observing the skirmish from behind.

The second generation of the Avalushi and the first generation of the Zun had engaged in numerous mock battles for training.

Initially, the Avalushi side, with its more experienced drivers, held the advantage. However, as the Zun pilots became more accustomed, the balance gradually shifted. By the time of the current operation, the Zun side was winning nine out of ten times.

“Shut up! You’re getting faster!”

The mocked pilot snapped back.

“Hah, as if I could just get faster like that. I’ll take you on! Here we go!”

With that, the first-generation Zun unit positioned behind moved in to attack.

Yet, each of the three strikes that followed was skillfully dodged.

“Hah, all that big talk, and you’re just as ineffective.” 

“Shut it! Damn it, what’s going on…?”

“Yeah, in Overdrive Mode, our speed is completely outpacing theirs.” 

Isamu said with a small fist pump, watching from his escaping magic vehicle.

In Overdrive Mode, the golem’s performance increased by roughly 1.4 times over the usual Overdrive setting. Even before, using Overdrive Mode had made their speed nearly comparable to the Avalushi in mock battles. Now, with the speed boost and all members receiving support from their cats, it was no surprise they had the upper hand.

“Damn it! Quit dodging and stay still!” 

Despite all the first-generation Zun units entering combat, they barely managed to graze their targets and landed no effective hits. The second-generation Zun units retaliated, landing hits that connected but didn’t inflict significant damage.

As the stalemate continued, Isamu, who had stealthily increased his distance, turned to Orihime perched on his shoulder.

“Princess, it’s your turn.”

“Mew!”

Orihime nodded and leapt onto the roof of the stopped magic vehicle.

“Meowwwwwww!”

Her long call sounded out.

Right after, the second-generation units at the frontline began retreating. Some swept their opponents’ legs out, others hurled spears to create openings, then leapt backward to widen the distance and started to flee.

“What?!”

“Not so fast!” 

Shouted a first-generation unit in pursuit.

**Boom!**

Suddenly, another volley of magic explosives flew in from Isamu and his team at the rear.

“Damn it, not again!”

Caught off guard by the scattered explosive orbs and disorienting smoke bombs, the first-generation units slowed. Seizing the moment, Isamu’s group slipped back into the city.

As they pursued, a new group of ten second-generation units emerged from the city to intercept them.

“Reinforcements?!”

Seeing nearly equal numbers of the second generation approach, the first-generation units hesitated. Magic spells, rocks, and lightning orbs rained down from the city walls.

“Now they’re attacking from there too!”

The second-generation units held them back. Although the first-generation fighters didn’t face mortal threats, their slower speed kept them from breaking through. Realizing that the city’s hit-and-run tactics were dragging them down, the first-generation troops withdrew to regroup and seek further instructions.

—

“What are you doing out there?! Letting yourself be outsmarted by mere copies!” 

“Our apologies, sir! But somehow, they’ve gotten significantly faster…”

“Nonsense! If you fail to take down a single town with this many magic giant golems, you’ll be the laughingstock of future generations!”

“S-Sorry, sir!”

“Useless, the lot of you!” 

Inside a small tent, Igor’s anger flared at the report. But even as he seethed, Isamu and his team continued their relentless hit-and-run attacks, keeping Igor’s forces on edge.

—

“The town hasn’t fallen yet? The magic giant golems are just on standby… Maybe that oaf of a general is finally showing some caution?”

About an hour later, Yaliskov found his own group stationed near Meraja, muttering to himself. Considering the risk that a rash attack could end in disaster, he was relieved to see his forces calm from a distance.

He slowly guided his horse over to join the group, but something seemed off. Igor should have been shouting orders, yet all was quiet. Most of the magic giant golems sat in standby mode, with their rear entrances wide open.

While it’s normal for pilots to take shifts, having so many in standby at the front lines was definitely unusual.

“General, it’s Yaliskov… Excuse me.”

Yaliskov called out to the single makeshift tent but, after waiting for a while with no response, he entered.

“I’ve just returned. What in the world is going on here… General?”

Normally, as soon as he entered, there would be some harsh words thrown his way, but this time there was not even a hint of that. The general was simply slumped in a chair, staring blankly at the sky.

“General! What’s wrong?!”

Startled by the unusual situation, Yaliskov rushed over to him.

“Yaliskov? As you can see… we’ve been completely outmaneuvered by those Avalushi bastards.”

“Outmaneuvered by Avalushi?” 

Yaliskov asked, confused.

“That’s right!! They came at us multiple times, attacking and retreating over and over again. There was no significant damage, so I had no idea what their goal was, but I never imagined… this was their plan!!”

Igor spat out, clearly furious.

“This… what do you mean? I see many of the machines are resting, but as you said, there seems to be no damage…” 

Yaliskov asked, still not understanding the situation.

“No damage, you say!? Are you blind?!”

Igor snapped angrily at the question.

“But—”

“That’s not a rest, damn it! They can’t move!!”

“Can’t move? What do you mean…? Could it be—?”

Yaliskov, finally catching on, rushed out of the tent and headed straight for the nearest magic giant golem.

“I knew it!!”

He exclaimed, eyes wide as he saw the magic stone stored inside the cockpit.

There was a large magic stone, and many medium-sized unmarked magic stones, but almost all of them, except for the large one, were cloudy and opaque, like frosted glass.

In a panic, Yaliskov checked the magic stones of other machines, and while there was some variation, they all had the same issue to some degree.

“Damn it, they targeted our magic power supply… But even though these things are power-hungry, they shouldn’t have run out of energy this quickly. There were supposed to be spare magic stones… so why…?”

Yaliskov muttered to himself, his face filled with confusion as he glared at the town of Meraja.

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