Infinite Stratos, Volume 7, page 10
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All right! I got Ichika! Houki was overjoyed as the bracket was unveiled. Today’s the day I’ll show him just what I’m capable of! Houki’s coaching from Tatenashi over the past week had paid off. I won’t let this go the way it always used to! And Akatsubaki is stronger now too. This time... This time! This time she would win, Houki was determined, as she raised a clenched fist.
That’s it. I’ll win. I’ll win... And at the dinner tomorrow that we got for that interview, I’ll tell him how I— I mean, I’ll, I’ll ask him out! I’m not missing another chance! Houki’s single-minded wish provided more than enough fuel for her burning fighting spirit.
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“Oh, Orimura!” The patter of approaching footsteps was Mayuzumi Kaoruko.
“What is it? I need to get changed into my IS suit and get over to the fourth arena.”
The way over twisted and turned, so it was a pretty far walk. Whoever picked my locker room must have really had it out for me, building a cross-country course into things before my fights even started.
“Here, look at the odds.”
“Whew...” Looking over the sheet of paper, I noticed that Houki and Tatenashi were at the top. I guess it made sense. Tatenashi was the only national pilot at IS Academy. She was on a whole different level from the national cadets. “And I’m... Ugh, dead last?”
“No one has any info on Kanzashi, so it’s to be expected.”
After a second and third year duo, there were Charl and Laura, then Cecilia and Rin.
“Five teams... So there’s ten of us with our own IS?”
“Yep. And seven are first years. This is a really strange year. One third year, two second years, and then seven of you? And all those third generation IS, too.”
“Pretty impressive, huh.”
“Oh, sure, try to brush it off. We all know it’s your fault!” She pointed at me. Well, I guess that was true. “And Shinonono’s is honestly more of a fourth-generation, if that even exists.”
“Yeah, it sure feels like it.”
“Anyway! Enough about that!” I wanted to remind her that she’s the one who got us on that topic to begin with, but I held myself back. “Give me a comment before the fight! I have to get one from everyone, so I’m super-busy! Give me a pose!”
Snap! The shutter clicked before she finished speaking. She was always such a ball of energy.
“All right, that’s the photo! Now, Ichika, what do you have to say?”
“I, uh... I’ll do my best!”
“I was hoping for something like ‘I’m shooting for the top!’”
“Well, um...”
“Hmm. Oh, right.” She cupped her chin, and her eyes gleamed. “How about ‘If I lose, I’m going to be a harem slave’?”
“Where did that come from?!”
“My sister came up with it.”
What the hell was that interview going to look like by the time it made it to print?! And seriously? Harem slave?
“Ahahah. You’re so much fun to tease, Orimura. Tacchan was right.”
“C’mon, please.”
“Oh, but you are!”
Just as Mayuzumi was gesticulating, BOOOOOOM!
“Huh?!”
The locker room suddenly swung as if an earthquake was happening.
“EEK!”
“Look out!”
Mayuzumi lost her balance as the room continued to shake. Seeing she was about to fall into the wall, I caught her arm and wrapped myself around her.
“Are you okay?”
“Y-Yeah. What just happened, though?”
Fshing! The hallway lighting suddenly changed from white to red, and projection displays reading ‘Emergency Alert’ popped up from around us.
“All students, evacuate to underground shelters! Repeat, all students, evacuate to— Eeeek!”
The teacher’s voice suddenly cut off as the school shook again.
“What the hell is going on?!”
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“Ms. Orimura!” Maya, running through the halls, had finally found Chifuyu.
“Situation report, Ms. Yamada! What just happened?!”
“We’re under attack! Look at this!” Breathlessly, Maya pulled out her phone. Displayed was a capture from the arena cameras, seconds before, showing the enemy.
“This is...”
“Yes! It’s more of the drones which appeared before—no, an upgraded version!”
“How many?”
“Five! They suddenly dove in from above the pits and attacked the students preparing their IS!”
As Maya spoke, Chifuyu’s face twisted.
“Dammit... This is too soon... We don’t have it yet...”
“Eh?”
Maya was shocked by Chifuyu’s murmur, and Chifuyu, only now realizing that she’d said it out loud, clammed up. She hardly ever saw such nervous frustration from Chifuyu.
“Ms. Orimura! What do we do?” Maya looked up at Chifuyu plaintively.
Chifuyu assumed absolute command of IS Academy in emergency situations. A privilege reserved for the woman crowned as Brynhildr.
“Section status?”
“Same as last time. Under high-level lockdown.”
“Understood. Have the teachers prioritize evacuation of the students. Access the control system, and release the lockdown. Ready combat instructors to deploy, Level III loadouts, in two-woman cells around defensive positions!”
“Roger!”
Maya straightened her spine as she replied, then rushed to the hangar with her own IS. As Chifuyu watched her leave, she punched the wall.
“You’re sure bringing it... But we’ve got plenty to answer with.”
Flames danced in her eyes as she muttered, lowly but firmly.
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“Haaah!”
Clang! With a swing of Souten Gagatsu and a forceful kick, Rin sent the attacker—the black IS—flying. She wanted her revenge. She could taste it. But the impassive, mechanical response of her foe only left her aching to feel it.
The black IS maintained its absolute silence. These black drones—these Golem IIIs. Far stronger than the Golem I, and given new form. No longer a hulking iron giant, but a graceful steel maiden. Almost a jet-black mannequin. Close-fit armor darker than night, wrapped around an unmistakably feminine form. The original’s array of lenses and sensors had been replaced with a visor-like linear camera, and a new hypersensor jutted forward like a ram’s horns.
And the biggest change was to its arms. From its right elbow, a powerful, weighty blade extended. Only in its left arm was still the menacing mechanical hulk that was reminiscent of a Golem I. But within its palm were four barrels firing superheated particle beams, dancing with flames like the gates of Hades.
“What the hell does it take to put you down?!”
On Rin’s shoulder units, the covers of her impact cannons swept back. In cramped confines like the IS pits, a full-power blast would be enough to wipe the Golem III from existence. Or rather, should have been— Around the drone, a floating orb of energy formed, absorbing the blast as if it were nothing.
“Dammit! Is this a defensive type?!”
“Ling! Get back!”
Rin dove for cover. In the skies above, Cecilia spun around and stopped midair, firing a burst from her Starlight Mk. III downward.
“Ugh! Such a strong shield! But I’m not finished yet!” The bits floating around her spat forth in unison, streaks of light returning to their home in the rising sun. “I’ve got you now!”
Cecilia’s fingers glided through thin air. With them, the beams curved in flight, seeking the drone from all sides. This was the psychokinetically-controlled Flexible Fire mode of BT weaponry.
Still, the drone sat silent. Almost as if it understood that its transforming shield couldn’t be deployed in time, the Golem III danced in midair.
“Wh—?!”
Its body twisted in ways no human pilot could manage. With impossibly precise bursts from its thrusters, it dodged every shot.
“Th-This is absurd! That strong a defense, and yet so mobile?!” The Golem III thrust its left arm toward Rin and Cecilia. They could see the building energy swirl around the barrels in its palm.
“And plenty of firepower...”
Boom! The explosion shook the pits.
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“What the hell are you?!”
The Golem III crashed through the ceiling, bearing down on Laura, and wrapping her head in its left arm. The grasp of its powerful fingers tightened. Her hypervisor creaked under the stress, as alarm after alarm rang. Still caught by surprise, Laura reflexively brought forth her plasma dagger to slash her way out.
I’ll slice your arm off! She ripped with her dagger, fast and precise, only to feel it stopped by the Golem III’s blade.
“What?!”
Just as she felt terror, the voice of her partner rang out.
“Laura!”
It was Charlotte. Her .69-caliber Gray Scale pile bunker poked forth from the shield on her left arm.
“Damn you!”
Blam! Metal clashing on metal, the Golem III fell back. But as she escaped its grasp, Laura saw the barrels in its palm ignite.
“Charlotte!”
“Get down!” Wedging herself between the Golem III and Laura, Charlotte called forth three shields with Rapid Switch. “Ugh...”
Even the Revive’s thick shields couldn’t stand up to the assault. A beam pierced through, scorching Charlotte’s right arm.
“Ch-Charlotte!”
“I... I’m fine... It just knocked off a bit of shield energy...”
“You bitch! You’ll pay for this!”
Laura cast her eyepatch off. Her Wodan-Auge enhanced hypersensor gleamed golden as she slammed the Golem III with all the force her AIC could muster. The drone sat silent, frozen in place.
“I’ll smash you!” Laura’s revolver cannon roared, the rhythm of its repeated fire and explosions from the drone beating out a waltz’s tempo. “AAARGH!”
“No, Laura! Get away from it!” Charlotte’s voice, so far away, only reached Laura’s ears as the drone suddenly broke free and darted forward.
“Ignition Boost?! And so powerful—”
The Golem III’s blade carved through her body.
“LAURAAAA!”
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“What’re we gonna do about this?” Third year Daryl Casey’s voice was flat. Her IS Hellhound ver. 2.5 was deployed, but no weapons were in its hands.
“Whatever it is, you first!” Second year Forte Safire fought to keep the boredom from her voice as she cheered Daryl on. Her IS Cold Blood was ready, but simply sprawled languidly in midair.
“Dammit, Forte. Is that how you talk to an upperclasswoman?”
“C’mon. Aren’t you supposed to be leading by example?”
While they were squabbling, a Golem III began to fire its heat beams.
“Those look pretty toasty. Check ’em for me, will ya?”
“Nah. I think it’s a good chance for you to work on your tan.”
Evade. Defend. Repel. Deflect. Parry. Block. Beneath their banter, a bulletproof defense. Their team’s name was ‘Aegis,’ after all. They fought as one, using their talents to cover for each other, not letting a single attack through.
“Here it comes.”
“Got it.”
Miss. Miss. Miss. Even on a hit, not a scratch of damage.
“Y’know, Forte.”
“Yes, ma’aaaaaam?”
“If we don’t attack it sometime, we’re just gonna have to keep doing this.”
“I know, right?”
The duo split left and right, around a charging thrust, and their eyes narrowed.
“Let’s do it, then.”
“Time for the counterattack.”
Swoosh! Double tomahawk kicks struck the Golem III.
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“Ah... Ahhhhhhh...”
Kanzashi was paralyzed with fear by the sudden attack, not even able to deploy her IS. Her teeth clattered as she cowered. What... What’s going on? Terror. Abject terror flooded her mind.
“Eek!”
Driven by the sound of footsteps behind her, she ran into a wall.
Quivering, she looked at the wall, then turned and looked up. Silently, a black Golem III drone loomed closer, and seeing her IS in standby mode on her right hand, pursued forth.
Save... Me... Someone save me! Squeezing her eyes shut, she prayed. If there really was a hero, he would be there for her. A hero, his scarf blowing in the wind, slicing through the darkness. But no one came. Reality is no dream, no anime. Step by step, the Golem III approached her.
“Ri... Mu... Ra...”
The left arm of the Golem stretched forth. An instant before it touched her, she screamed.
“ORIMURA!!!”
Crshoom. She felt the wall behind her crumble, then blast away.
“KANZASHI!”
Orimura! He came! Wrapped in a cloud of smoke, Ichika looked every inch the hero. Her own hero.
“RAAH!” Blasting through the wall to the pit, he stretched out his palm. The particle cannon within sparked with energy and fired. At the same time, the Golem III fired its own heat rays. The two beams crashed together in midair, exploding. “Kanzashi! Get in your IS! You’re gonna be caught in an explosion!”
“Y-Yes!”
While Ichika bought time, Kanzashi was enveloped in light, and Uchigane Nishiki formed around her.
“It’s a tough one!” Ichika parried with Yukihira Nigata as he attacked with Setsura in blade mode, but every blow was in turn turned back by the Golem III’s blade. “I can’t take it alone, Kanzashi!”
“What?!”
“Are you ready?!”
“Y-Yeah!” Kanzashi rushed through her preflight checks. Every package was showing ready. I... I... I want to fight alongside him! As the hope, the prayer rang out in her mind, Uchigane Nishiki surged with energy. As if her prayer was answered. “Let’s go! Uchigane Nishiki!”
Clang! Ichika parried a blow and ducked back. Uchigane Nishiki took his place, its Shunrai particle cannon poking out from under Kanzashi’s arms.
“At this range, I can’t miss!” she yelled as she bathed the Golem in a hail of fire— But the shield units floating around it blocked every shot.
“Get back, Kanzashi!”
“What do we do?” Kanzashi questioned as she fell back under Ichika’s cover fire.
“Uchigane Nishiki can’t do its best in close quarters!”
“But the arena is sealed off with a shield... Wait!”
“That’s right. I can cut through the shield with Reiraku Byakuya. Get out into the arena, and fight!”
“Got it...”
“Hold it off for me!”
Ichika prepared Reiraku Byakuya for activation, holding Yukihira Nigata low. Meanwhile, Kanzashi brandished her close-quarters weapon, the Yumeutstsu anti-composite-armor vibroblade naginata, in both hands.
“Let’s do this!”
“O-Okay!”
Byakushiki and Uchigane Nishiki both spread their wing thrusters, and Ichika and Kanzashi took flight.
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“Haaaaa!”
Clang! Houki swung up with her twin blades, sweeping the Golem III’s away. For a moment, the drone swung off balance. It quickly righted itself using its PIC, but the opening was one Tatenashi didn’t let pass by.
“I’ve got you now!” Tatenashi’s lance, veiled in a spiral of nanomachine-infused water, pierced toward the Golem III, but before it could find its mark, the drone’s bulky left hand wrapped around it. “Houki! Activate your back variable-sweep armor! I’ll hold it back!”
“Understood!”
The Golem III’s hand screeched as Tatenashi’s lance drilled away.
“Ugh! What’s their armor made out of?!”
“Tatenashi! I’m ready!”
“All right!”
Propelled by Houki’s Akatsubaki, Tatenashi slammed the Golem III into the arena’s gates. Silence hung in the air, broken only by the roar of three IS’ thrusters. Tatenashi and Houki ignored the warning indicators from Mysterious Lady and Akatsubaki that they were about to crash into the arena’s shield barrier.
“Eat this!”
Tatenashi gripped her lance as she fired its other weapon, quad-linked gatling guns. The Golem III swept its shield unit forward to block the fire, but crashed into the barrier. Tatenashi’s face twisted with pain as she was squeezed between the shock of impact from her front and the constant thrust from behind.
“Tatenashi!”
“I’m fine! Let’s crush this thing!”
“But...”
“Just do it!”
Houki was shocked by her insistence, but still increased power to her variable-sweep armor.
“Ugh...!”
Tatenashi could feel her back being crushed, but she kept up the attack. Her water lance and the gatling guns ground away at the Golem III’s armor as sparks flew.
“TATENASHI!”
“Hahaha... I’ve still got one last trick.” Supporting her lance with her left hand, Tatenashi raised her right to the sky. “Take everything Mysterious Lady’s got!”
Tendrils of water swirled forth from her palm, enveloping Mysterious Lady.
“What is this?!”
“I’m focusing all the nanomachines covering my armor into one point, and letting everything fly in one last-ditch attack. I call it—”
Mistilteinn. Formed from a chain explosion of all Tatenashi’s nanomachines, it was an explosion which could pierce through any armor like paper. But it would tear through her own armor as well. Exposing herself to the force of four small fuel-air bombs was definitely a last-ditch attack.
The air in the arena was still. Sensing the energy flow, the Golem III swung its blade down on Tatenashi. Focused on initiating the Mistilteinn reaction, Tatenashi couldn’t dodge, couldn’t parry, could do nothing but take the attack.
“Ahh!” That falling blade sliced through her armor, her life support systems, her skin. Crimson blood welled up, spurting from Tatenashi. But her smile remained.
“Houki.”
“Y-Yes!”
“Shift your variable-sweep armor to defense. You’ll be caught up in this.”
“Wait! What about you?!” she protested.
