188 今日は味方
一帯は巨人の銃撃によって様変わりしていた。廃ビル等の建築物が軒並み全壊して見通しが大分良くなっている。道だった場所も建物だった場所も大小様々な
『ゆっくりこっちに歩いてきているわ。銃撃は止めたけれど、弾切れかどうかは不明ね』
『あんなデカい弾をあれだけ撃ったのに、まだ弾が残っている可能性があるのか?』
そうな顔を見せるアキラにアルファが笑顔を返す。
『あら、アキラの銃だって似たようなものでしょう?』
アキラが納得して苦笑する。
『確かに。......そうだよな。旧世界の技術を応用した拡張弾倉の弾数にもそろそろ慣れて驚かなくなったけど、モンスターだって同じ旧世界の技術で製造されているんだよな。似たような拡張弾倉を使っていても不思議はないか』
昔は驚いていた利便性に慣れてしまいそれを普通だと思い始めた頃に、敵に同じものを使われてその利便性と厄介さと理不尽さを再確認する。アキラは拡張弾倉を通して旧世界の技術の得体の知れなさを改めて思い知り、そこに妙な感情を覚えながら、恐らく拡張弾倉などとは比べものにならないほどに奇異な存在である恩人に視線を向けた。アルファだ。
『アキラ。どうかしたの?』
『いや、何でもない』
『そう。こんな状況だから落ち着けないのは分かるけれど、今はじっとしていてね。下手に動くと敵に気付かれるわ』
『いや、アルファじゃなくて、そっちだ』
アキラはアルファが腰掛けているものを指差した。半壊したバイクだ。車体は大きくゆがんで至る所が
『仕方ないわ。必要な犠牲だったと思って諦めましょう』
『そうだけどさ。トラックの方も予備の弾薬ごと駄目になったんだ。
り過ごしましょう。また雨が降って豪雨にでもなってくれれば、雨に紛れて逃げ出せるのだけれどね。雲の様子を見る限り、可能性はあるわ』
アキラが空を見上げる。分厚い雨雲は今にも降り出しそうにも見える。しかし雨粒は落ちてこない。
情報端末にネリアからの通話要求が届く。アキラは少し迷い、アルファを見て確認してから通話要求を受け入れた。
「アキラ? 生きてる? 大丈夫?」
「全く問題ないわ。すぐに射線から逃げたし、敵もアキラばっかり狙っていたからね。たっぷり撃って弾切れのようだから今から斬りかかるつもりなんだけど、生きてるなら援護してちょうだい」
「ちょっと待て。あれと
余りにも当然だと言わんばかりのネリアの返事に、アキラは逆に戸惑ってしまった。そして頭に浮かんだ無数の疑問を凝縮した短い言葉を口に出す。
「......な、何で?」
「何でって、それが私達のお仕事でしょう?」
「あら、仕事を放り出して逃げ帰るのが当然のような言い方は失礼ね。私、これでも仕事は真面目にやる方なのよ?」
「......仕事を真面目にやるやつが、何で遺物強奪犯なんかやってたんだよ」
「それがその時の私の仕事だったからよ。じゃあ、援護お願いね」
ネリアとの通信が切れる。アキラは軽い衝撃を受けていた。ネリアの態度、反応、思想を理解し
なものを覚えながらも、それはそれとして行動を促す。
『何だか知らないけれど、彼女が敵の注意を引きつけてくれるようね。今のうちに移動しましょう』
ネリアが機体の推進装置の出力を限界まで上げて巨人に急速接近する。巨人の後方、銃撃の範囲外だったおかげで破壊から免れた廃ビルの影から、地面すれすれの高速低空飛行で最短距離を駆け抜ける。巨人がネリアの接近に気づき、振り返り、攻撃の優先順位をアキラからネリアに切り替え、左腕の機銃を構える間に、巨人との距離を半分以上縮めた。
ネリアは巨人が弾切れだとは判断していない。だが相当な弾数を消費した所為で一帯を壊滅させたような連射は不可能だと判断していた。その読みは当たり、巨人の銃撃は低速の連射にまで落ちていた。面でも線でもなく、かなり間隔の空いた点の集まりにまで制圧力を落とした敵の銃撃を、射線の読みと機体の精密な操作で巧みに
明確に人間ではない戦車など非人間型の制御装置と自意識を接続すれば常人なら発狂しかねない。だがネリアは全く問題なく自在に操作した上で自我の平静を維持できる。それほど卓越した才能の持ち主であり、つまり、ある種の狂人だ。
近接戦闘と義体操作の両方の達人であるネリアが操縦する機体が、敵の銃撃を高速精密な動作で
し、同時に巨人から距離を取った。そして機体の情報収集機器で銃弾の発射元を探る。そこには大分離れた場所でSSB複合銃を構えるアキラの姿があった。
アキラが非常に険しい表情を浮かべている。SSB複合銃から空になった拡張弾倉と同じく空になった複数のエネルギーパックが排出されて落ちていく。
『結構近付いたけど、もう少し近付かないと駄目か?』
アキラに気付いた巨人が機銃を構える。だが発砲の直前にネリアに腕を斬りつけられた所為で照準を大幅に狂わせた。発射された弾丸はアキラから大分離れた場所に着弾したが、着弾地点の
「全然援護がなかったから逃げ出したかと思ったわ」
「......気は進まないが、今は味方だからな。それに援護無しでそっちがあっさり倒されて、俺が
「そう。でももう少し早く助けてくれても良かったんじゃない?」
「こっちは人型兵器にも乗っていないし、バイクも壊れたし、弾薬も残り少ない。それでも何とか効果的に援護しようとしているんだ。文句が続くようなら帰るぞ」
ねないでよ。さっきはちょっと危ないところだったの。助かったわ。ありがとう」
「どういたしまして」
「何となくだけど、あの走り方とか態度からは、執念とか深い恨みとかを感じるわ。アキラ。彼とはどんな関係だったの? そんなに恨まれるようなことをしちゃったの? これは女の勘ってやつだけど、もしかして彼の女でも奪っちゃった?」
「初対面だ! モンスターの知り合いなんかいない!」
SSB複合銃から空になった拡張弾倉が排出されるのと同時に、巨人の姿を隠していた衝撃変換光も消えてなくなる。巨人の装甲の一部が剥がれ落ちていた。
前回の攻撃よりは効果があった。アキラはそう思って僅かに気を良くしたが、それが表情に表れる前に巨人の絶叫のような
アキラも慌てて急いで焦りながら再度走り出した。
アキラは全力で駆けながらSSB複合銃の準備を済ませた。そして再び素早く振り返って巨人に向けて銃撃する。的は大きく今度は距離も更に近い。銃弾は全て巨人に着弾し、着弾地点に穴を開けて金属混じりの血肉を飛び散らせた。
『なんでそんなに発射速度を下げるんだ!? 弾はまだ残ってるだろう!?』
『あの発射速度を可能にするだけのエネルギーパックがなくなりそうなのよ。あれだけ連射すれば反動も
エネルギーパックは強化服の維持にも必要だ。アキラの限界は近付いていた。
ネリアの機体が巨人を追いかけながらその巨体を何度も斬りつけている。両手のブレードが装甲を失った巨人の肉体を切り裂き、開いた傷口から緑色に発光している血液のような体液を飛び散らせている。だがその傷口は高性能な回復薬を過剰に使用したようにすぐに閉じてしまう。巨人はネリアの猛攻など無駄だと言わんばかりに走り続けていた。
敵の再生にも限度はあり、再生のたびにエネルギーを消耗させているので無駄ではない。ネリアはそう理解しながらも、敵の余りの生命力に珍しく顔を少し
みアキラの方も少しは楽になる。ネリアはそう思いながら再び敵の脚を斬りつけようとする。だがその一撃は外れてしまった。巨人は背の重い弾倉を切り離し、機銃も左腕ごと切り離して、更に身軽になった分だけ加速してブレードから逃れたのだ。
ネリアが急いで追って再度斬撃を放つがそれも外れる。ネリアの機体は度重なる連戦で大分出力を落としており、移動速度も徐々に低下していた。加速した巨人の速度はネリアの機体の速度を超えていたのだ。
を盛大に吹き飛ばす光景を背後にして、アキラがSSB複合銃を巨人の顔面に突き立てる。
その叫びは圧縮された時間の中で無理
「......どうしようかしら?」
その言葉には様々な意味が込められていたのだが、ネリアは少し迷った後に、どことなく残念そうにも名残惜しそうにも見える様子でアキラに
Ch 188
The contour of the area was changed completely from the huge monster's barrage. With most of the abandoned buildings blown to smithereens, the cityscape was turned into a clear open plain. Both the roads and the buildings were equally buried under debris of various sizes, it was completely impossible to differentiate where the road was. It was not something that Hunters normally came across in a ruin.
"It's approaching slowly. Though it has stopped shooting, I don't think it's because it ran out of ammo."
"Seriously though, how the hell does it still have some ammo left after shooting that many huge warheads around?"
In contrast to Akira who was frowning in concern, Alpha was smiling like usual.
"Oh my, isn't it the same with your rifle?"
Akira was completely convinced by that argument and smiled wryly.
"Ahhh... You have a point there. And here I thought I'm already used to using the extended magazine made with old-world technology, but now that you mention it, the monsters are also made with old-world technology too. So it won't be strange if they have extended magazine too."
It was something that would surprise him in the past, but after using it for some time, Akira had more or less already gotten used to how convenient it was. This time, he understood the enemy might be using the same technology and how that convenience turned into trouble. At the same time, Akira was reminded of how his extended magazine was using old-world technology that he did not fully understand. He then turned to look at his patron who was created with a technology far more complex than the extended magazine.
"Akira, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing."
"Is that so? I understand that you can't really relax in this situation, but just stay there, okay? The monster might notice you if you make a single move."
"No, it's not you. It's that over there."
Akira pointed straight past Alpha's body, at his half-broken bike behind her. Its trunk was badly bent, its front wheel and rifle arm were gone. Even his A4WM automatic grenade launcher that was originally fixed on that arm was already buried deep under the rubbles.
"Well, things happened, just think of it as a necessary sacrifice."
"That's true, but still, even the truck is also gone along with the ammo that I had left on it. So at least let me sigh, will you?"
"Let's hide for now. We might have been able to blend in with the rain and run away, but unfortunately, the rain has already stopped. Judging from the clouds, it might rain again though."
Akira looked up at the sky. Although it was blanketed in thick clouds as if the rain would pour down anytime, it was not raining.
A call from Nelia reached Akira's information terminal. He was not sure whether to pick it or not and glanced at Alpha.
"Akira? Are you alive?"
"No problem at all. I immediately ran away from its sight, it had its eyes fixed on you after all. It seems that it's running out of ammo so I will be going for its head. Give me some support if you're still alive."
"Wait for a sec, are you going to fight that thing?"
Nelia replied as if it was a given fact, Akira could not help but get surprised by that. All the questions inside his head were compressed into one word.
"...Why?"
"Why, you ask? That's given, it's our job, right?"
"Oh my, it kind of hurts when you say it like that, do you think that I'm someone who would abandon my job? Although I look like this, I'm pretty serious when it comes to my job, okay?"
"...If you're really that upright, why would you be stealing relics then?"
"That was my job back then. Well, that aside, I'll leave the support to you."
Nelia ended the call. Akira was shocked, he did not expect her to be actually that earnest, but at the same time, he could understand it too.
Alpha found Akira's reaction interesting, but she still prompted him to start moving.
"I don't know what you find weird about it, but since it seems that she will be taking that monster's attention, let's use this chance to move out."
Nelia used the full power of her powered suit to close the distance with the monster. The monster could not shoot its large cannon behind itself, so Nelia used that blind spot to draw the shortest route to the monster while utilizing the cover of the rubbles. The moment the monster noticed her, it quickly turned around and changed its priority from Akira to Nelia. Nelia was able to close more than half of the distance while it was preparing the cannon on its left arm.
Nelia believed that the monster still had some ammo left. But after shooting around that many warheads, she was sure it would not have enough ammo left to demolish all the buildings in the area. Her guess was correct, as a matter of fact, it was no longer able to maintain its original rate of fire. Now that it started shooting in intervals instead of continuous fire, she was able to skillfully avoid the falling warheads with the precise control of her powered suit while she approached the monster.
An ordinary person might go mad if he or she was connected to a tank or a non-humanoid machine. But Nelia did not show any difficulty at all in controlling her powered suit. It demonstrated her talent as well as her distorted mind.
As someone who was accomplished both as a close combat fighter and cyborg body user, Nelia was able to evade the high-speed warhead coming at her. She quickly slipped under the monster and slashed its legs with the blades on both of her arms. The moment her blades touched the monster's legs, fire sparked followed by a blinding light. It was the light from the monster's force field armour exchanging kinetic energy into photons.
Nelia used that opening to completely evade the incoming blade and jumped back, opening some distance between her and the monster. She then checked the area where that barrage came from and found Akira aiming his SSB multi-weapon rifle from quite a distance away.
Akira had a stern look on his face, his SSB rifle ejected its empty magazine and empty energy packs.
"I'm sure I did that pretty up close though, should I get closer next time?"
The big monster noticed Akira from that barrage and aimed its cannon. But before it could release a shot, Nelia slashed at it, throwing its aim off. Although the shot landed far away from Akira, it had enough power to blow rubble sky high. Akira could not help but frown seeing that.
"And here I thought you already ran away since I didn't get any support."
"... Although I hate it, we're allies for now. Moreover, if you get defeated without my support, I won't be able to move around without a decoy."
"I see, but I would really hope you would've helped me sooner, you know?"
"I'm not even inside a powered suit and my bike is gone, you know. I also don't have that much ammo left, but even so, I'm still doing my best to help you here. So if you keep complaining, I will just leave you behind."
"Geez, calm down. That one just now was a close call, thank you."
"You're welcome."
"For some reason, seeing how it's running at you, I can feel some kind of hatred or deep grudge against you though. Akira, what did you do to that monster? Did you do something bad to it? This is only a woman's intuition but... Did you mess with its girlfriend or something?"
"Like hell if I did! It's my first time meeting that monster, you know?! And also, I don't have any monster acquaintances!!"
At the same time Akira's SSB multi-weapon rifle ejected its empty magazine, the blinding light finally died down, exposing the monster and a part of its body that was crumbling down.
The barrage this time dealt more damage than the last time. Akira thought so and smiled, but before he could express his happiness, the monster howled and its face twitched.
Akira did not waste any seconds before he started running again.
Akira ran as fast as he could while finishing reloading his SSB rifle. Once he was done, he turned around and released another barrage. This time, since the enemy was closer and the target was bigger, all of his shots hit their targets. They pierced through the outer shell and scattered blood and metallic parts into the air.
"Why did you slow it down by that much? I still should have plenty of ammo left, you know?!"
"Ammo, yes. But not enough energy packs. High-speed shooting causes a strong kickback which in turn consumes more energy. Moreover, it's not like it was enough to fully kill the kickback too. Your rifle is also hitting its limit. You only have enough energy packs for one more high-speed barrage, after that, you'll run out of energy packs and the rifle itself will break. That's why you'll have to save it for the best chance when you can be sure to kill it. It's really unfortunate that we lost the rest of our energy packs together with the truck."
Not only his rifle, but Akira's augmented suit also needed an energy pack to operate, which meant he was basically at his limit too.
Nelia kept slashing at the monster while chasing it. Now that it had no forcefield armour and was just protected by its metal armour, her blades easily slashed through the monster's flesh, opening a wound that bled green shining blood. But such wounds immediately closed up as if the monster was using a powerful medicine. So the monster was not even bothered by Nelia's slashing.
But there was a limit on how many times it could regenerate its wounds. Since it consumed energy every time it regenerated itself, Nelia's attack was not completely useless. Although she understood that, she still felt intimidated by the monster's incredible vitality.
Nelia thought that with this, it would at least stop shooting at Akira as she focused her attack back to its legs, but she was mistaken there. The monster quickly threw away the gigantic magazine on its back and the cannon on its left arm; now that it had become even lighter, it was able to run faster and quickly got away from Nelia's blades.
Nelia rushed to that monster and tried to slash at it again, but once again, it missed. Her powered suit had considerably slowed down after all the fighting, so she was no longer able to catch up to that monster.
The light blade landed on the ground, throwing all the rubbles up into the sky behind Akira as he pointed his SSB rifle straight at the big monster's face.
Since Akira screamed those words under his compressed time perception, no one could understand him. But the huge amount of bullets that he released in that short time, which ignored the kickback and the stress on both the rifle and his body, conveyed his words very well.
"...Hmm, what should I do with you now?"
Although those words contained a lot of different meanings behind them, it did not take that long for Nelia to make her decision as she smiled rather disappointedly.
Rebuild World (WN)
リビルドワールド
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/rebuild-world/
Action Adventure Drama Harem Mecha Mystery Sci-fi Seinen
Abandoned Children Adapted to Manga Adventurers Alternate World Anti-social Protagonist Apocalypse Artificial Intelligence Beautiful Female Lead Cautious Protagonist Child Protagonist Dense Protagonist Determined Protagonist Distrustful Protagonist Futuristic Setting Gangs Gunfighters Harsh Training Lack of Common Sense Male Protagonist Manipulative Characters Monsters Near-Death Experience Older Love Interests Poor Protagonist Poor to Rich Ruthless Protagonist Shota Sudden Strength Gain Survival Twisted Personality Unlucky Protagonist Weak to Strong
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n9736dt/
非公開