Hell Mode: Volume 5, page 27
When their magic ship drew close, one ship dwarfed the rest of the naval fleet, arresting their attention. This was the flagship of the Baukisian navy that also operated as its headquarters. Meruru and her fellow students disembarked onto the deck of the massive ship, where their stats and Talents were checked. They were then made to line up along the deck.
Admiral Garara arrived with subordinates in tow to question each of the students about their readings. However, when it was Meruru’s turn, the admiral’s expression changed.
“Huh? Ye never called forth a golem before?” he asked incredulously.
“U-Uh, yes, sir. I only got to observe when I was in my first year.”
The other students looked equally bewildered for a moment until they remembered that Meruru was still a second-year student. At the Academy, students were only permitted to ride golems and practice using them for battle in their third year—pretty much right before graduation, at that. After all, actually calling forth a golem and piloting it were not all that difficult.
“Guess there be no helpin’ it. There’s still a few days ’til we reach base. I’ll teach ye.”
“Huh?”
“Meruru. Ye ’ave the Talos General Talent. Ye’ll be a leader one day. Think o’ this war as a learnin’ opportunity.”
And so it was decided that Meruru would be getting a crash course on golem piloting right here on this ship.
Pepeku, one of the admiral’s men, interrupted while making a troubled face. “Sorry, Admiral, but we’re almost at Lamchatka Strait.”
There was still a lot to confirm and work out before the navy was to make contact with the Demon Lord Army.
Garara sighed. Unlike Pepeku, he thought there was still enough time, as there were still a few days until the actual fighting would begin. “Aren’t we nearly done talkin’ strategy? Pepeku, ye help out, then. An’ be serious when talkin’ with the lass ’ere.”
The northbound fleet eventually reached Lamchatka Strait, the point where the Central Continent and the Baukisian Continent were closest. The water there was shallow, and sheer cliffs loomed over both sides of the strait. The navy could fight here without worry of the Demon Lord Army surrounding them.
However, the continental plate fell off just south of the strait, making the ocean there incredibly deep. If the Demon Lord Army managed to break through their lines, the Baukisians would be forced to fight not only by air, sea, and land, but deep underwater as well.
Furthermore, Dongbao—the capital of Baukis—was located close to the northern edge of the continent and right next to a canal. If the Lamchatka Strait were breached, the imperial capital could easily come under attack. Knowing this, Baukis had built a massive fortress at the strait, Base Lamchatka, which was constantly manned by a hundred thousand troops.
“I’ll be workin’ yer arses off. Brace yerselves!”
“Aye, aye, Admiral!”
As Meruru’s ship continued making its way to Base Lamchatka, Admiral Garara was personally instructing the specially selected students with especially promising futures. The Empire of Baukis had gathered thousands of Talented students for this clash with the Demon Lord Army, and these ten were the cream of the crop. Meruru was here because she possessed a one-in-ten-million Talent; the others were all the top scorers at their respective Academies. One of the aims of this elite squad was to provide them field experience and instruction from the most distinguished teacher available.
“Ye ’ear me, ye lot?! We haven’t got time. Especially ye, Meruru, since ye ain’t got experience ridin’ a golem. So, I’m gonna beat it into yer flesh bags! Pepeku—ye be in charge o’ helpin’ Meruru with’r golem!”
The students looked nervous but managed to reply, “Aye, aye, Admiral!” in unison.
Admiral Garara was the chief commander of the entire Baukisian navy. Not only did he have an impressive title, but he was also the national champion credited with foiling every single one of the Demon Lord Army’s attempts to land on Baukis’s shore.
Being able to receive personal instruction from him was the greatest motivator for these elite students. And off to the side, Pepeku and Meruru were about to begin their own one-on-one lesson.
“First, make sure that all the slates I handed you are firmly fitted into your magic disc,” Pepeku said.
Meruru obediently checked the disc hanging around her neck. “Yes, sir. They’re all in.”
When she received the magic disc earlier, she had already confirmed that it had all the necessary slates slotted in. However, thorough checks were a crucial part of being a golem pilot. For example, not realizing a slate was loose could prove fatal in the thick of battle, and even worse, could lead to allies dying too.
“Next, register a name for your golem into your disc.”
“What kind of name should it be, sir?”
“It can be anything you want. Just make sure to steer clear of any names of the gods or Baukisian emperors.”
It was impossible to change the name of one’s golem afterward. With this in mind, golem pilots chose their golems’ names very carefully. The names of deities and past emperors were off-limits, so many went with the names of powerful monsters, other famous historic champions, or world-renowned treasures. The one that Meruru chose, however, was a bit different.
“I’m going with Tam-Tam, then!”
“‘Tam-Tam’? As in, the tam-tam tree? That’s a first.”
The tam-tam was a rare species of tree that could survive even in Baukis’s dry and arid climate, producing large and sweet fruit. Choosing “tam-tam” as a name was the equivalent of choosing “melon” or “watermelon” in Allen’s past world. Needless to say, almost no other golem pilots named their golems anything like it, so Pepeku’s comment just naturally came out.
“I can’t name it that?”
“Oh, no, you totally can. It’s a good name.”
The tam-tam fruit meant a lot to Meruru, who was born and raised in the port city of Heratana, close to Dongbao. Her father provided maintenance for the ships that came in. One day, he had gone to the market to buy a tam-tam sapling, then came home and planted it in the family’s yard.
This type of tree grew very slowly and required a lot of care. What was more, the fruit from their tree ended up not being all that sweet and was more watery than the produce on sale at the market.
Meruru grasped her magic disc while recalling how dearly her father cared for the tree—despite her brothers complaining about how mediocre the fruit tasted.
With a bright flash, the name “Tam-Tam” registered to Meruru’s magic disc.
“Now, lift your hands and shout, ‘Come forth, Tam-Tam!’ You don’t have to make a cool pose this first time. Focus only on summoning your golem.”
“Yes, sir. Come forth, Tam-Tam!”
A magic circle appeared before Meruru, and from it arose a ten-meter-tall golem.
“I’m sure you already know this, but while your golem is out, you’ll gradually lose MP, even if you’re not doing anything.”
Meruru could actually feel the sensation of MP leaving her body. She nodded.
“Yes, sir!”
“’Kay, let’s have you try and ride this thing, then. I’ll teach you how to pilot it and use your skills. Hold up a hand toward your golem’s crystal.”
“Yes, sir! Yah! Wait, wh-whoa!”
When Meruru thrust her hand out toward the large crystal embedded within her golem’s chest, it glowed and shot a beam of light in her direction. The next thing she knew, she was floating in midair and being sucked toward the golem. She was so surprised she started flailing about. Once inside the crystal, she floated about as if she were underwater but had no problems breathing.
“How’s it feel? Try moving your hands and legs slowly. The magic disc should respond.”
“Okay! M-Move! Whoa, my view!”
When Meruru willed one hand to move, the magic disc hanging around her neck flickered and the sea and sky abruptly filled her vision. Through the power of the magic disc, she was now seeing what Tam-Tam was seeing. When she moved her right hand, the magic disc relayed her intention, and her golem also moved its right hand. She looked at the arm that had just moved, her heart overflowing with emotion. After this, she learned a few simple movements as well as how to use her skills, then got to work practicing them. Pepeku had a calm voice and was good at teaching. He had a good sense for when to give her time to rest and broke up the humdrum of the lesson with interesting tidbits every now and then. When he told Meruru that his golem served as one of the parts that combined with Admiral Garara’s golem whenever he did large-scale transformations, stars practically shot out of her eyes.
“Thank you very much, sir!” she said appreciatively after their lesson.
“You’re a fast learner, Meruru. We’ll get to using your Extra Skill tomorrow. You’re a right arm, right? I’ll think about how to set things up.”
“Thank you, sir!”
“Hoy, Pepeku! Meruru! Wrap it up for t’day!” Admiral Garara shouted to them, then turned back to the students he was teaching. “You lot come too! It’s time t’ drink!”
“Aye, aye, Admiral!” the students replied, bowing respectfully. Apparently Garara had completely won them over while Pepeku was teaching Meruru. When she saw this, she realized the truth in something Pepeku had just told her before.
Golem pilots had the ability to combine their golems to form even bigger golems. To make this happen, a group needed to be made up of pilots who each handled a different part—like how Meruru’s Extra Skill was “Union (Right Arm).” Each part had its own role to fulfill, and golem pilots would purposely pick up skills that enhanced their role in a combined golem. For example, Pepeku taught Meruru that, since she was a right arm, she should learn more attack skills.
The Role and Relevant Skills of Each Golem Part
Head: Overall command of the whole golem. Needs finisher skills.
Torso: Coordination between all other parts. Needs buff skills.
Left arm: Defense. Needs blocking and recovery skills.
Right arm: Attack. Needs attack skills.
Legs: Movement. Needs speed-boosting skills and skills that alter the golem’s form.
Furthermore, Pepeku had taught Meruru that a golem pilot’s personality also influenced their role within the combined golem.
Pepeku’s Golem Part-Based Personality Analysis
Head: Charismatic and has good leadership qualities
Torso: Good at cooperating with and mediating between people
Left arm: Reactive
Right arm: Proactive
Legs: Either hasty or likes to do things at their own pace
Whereas Meruru had the Right Arm Extra Skill, Pepeku had Torso, and Admiral Garara had the Head. Pepeku had been all too happy to explain that golem pilots with different personalities and specialties working together and combining their powers was one reason they were so powerful.
Pepeku had ended this talk about personalities and golem parts by saying that it was Admiral Garara who had come up with this theory. Meruru now looked in the admiral’s direction and saw him with one of the students in a headlock as he led everyone to the drinking party. She giggled with the realization of how spot-on his theory was.
＊ ＊ ＊
Three days after Meruru’s group boarded Admiral Garara’s ship, the navy reached Lamchatka Strait. The Empire of Baukis had plenty of military bases spread out all over the continent, some of which were also out in the ocean, but this one was the largest by far due to how crucial it was. Half of the total military strength of Baukis—one of the major powers of the Five Continent Alliance—was stationed here at Base Lamchatka.
Admiral Garara gathered all of the sailors and students, including the elite squad that Meruru was a part of, on the deck of his ship, then barked, “Ne’er forget that Baukis’ll be finished if th’ enemy breaks through! E’ryone, t’ yer stations!”
More than ten thousand dwarves shouted at the top of their lungs, “Aye, aye, Admiral!”
“Chosen Corp, yer with me at th’ very front! Brace yerselves!”
“Aye, aye, Admiral!”
The dwarven race gave birth to many golem pilots, blacksmiths, and magic tool users, but of Baukis’s total population of two hundred million, only ten percent were born with a Talent. The golem pilots put their lives on the line to protect the futures of the remaining 180,000,000.
Meruru now felt the weight of the responsibility of standing at the front lines with Admiral Garara and the expectations placed on her as a Talos General through and through. She responded to the admiral’s cry with as much zest as the rest of the Chosen Corp.
The dwarves burst into action as they carried out the plan hashed out over the past three days. Some made their way to the ocean fortress, while others prepared their ships for combat. Admiral Garara had based the strategy this time on the recovery items that Allen had given Meruru back when she parted with the No-life Gamers at the Ratashian Academy. After the effects of the items had been confirmed, Meruru had given the admiral full rein to use them however he saw fit.
Several golems were deployed to the north of Base Lamchatka in three lines, positioned so as to not let a single monster through. They did not have to wait long before the one-million-strong Demon Lord Army force showed up and began their assault.
This was the first day of what eventually became a whole month of pitched battle.
The war ultimately ended with Baukis’s victory. With help and advice from Admiral Garara and Pepeku, Meruru had desperately fought to protect her homeland. They suffered some casualties, but those numbers were incredibly low considering the size of the enemy force. There was a reason for this: the recovery items from Allen had made a massive difference.
The navy had structured their three lines of defense so that they could switch positions whenever a fighter ran low on MP from taking attacks, but the recovery items made it so easy to recover MP that there was almost no need to switch out. Their defensive lines held fast against the Demon Lord Army, which lacked the firepower to make any decisive push.
Thanks to this, the supply ships positioned between the lines never came under attack either. The Baukisian defense proved so much more effective than before that the Demon Lord Army had started getting impatient. Normally, a general would escape once he realized his army had no hope of winning, but this particular commander seemed very distressed by the unexpected resistance and showed up in person. The general was a Demonic Deity, and he had Rank S monsters at his command as well.
When the Demonic Deity appeared, however, Admiral Garara used his combined golem to obliterate him and his Rank S monsters, sending them to a literal watery grave.
＊ ＊ ＊
After the Demon Lord Army was defeated, the sailors still in their service period remained, but Meruru and the rest of the students were summoned to Dongbao. There, the emperor recognized Meruru by showering her with money and making her an honorary baron.
The country was not simply giving her preferable treatment for having a valuable Talent. She was also being evaluated for providing Allen’s recovery items and for her performance fighting with Admiral Garara on the front lines. Baukis was a country that valued money above all else, but it was very liberal when rewarding those with exemplary achievements or worthy abilities.
The other members of the Chosen Corp were also rewarded in various ways, such as with a knighthood or promise of future employment in a prominent position in the Baukisian navy after graduation.
As was customary, a flashy parade was then held on the main avenue of Dongbao to announce to the people the empire’s victory. Meruru and the rest of the war heroes rode on top of golems transformed to march on land as the hundreds of thousands—nay, millions of dwarves lining the road showered them with thunderous applause.
“No way, I see my dad!”
From her position near the front of the procession, Meruru spotted her father, who had also been aboard her ship during the campaign as a mechanic, in the crowd. He was with the rest of her family in the stands reserved for the families of those recognized for their distinguished service. When Meruru flailed her arm around at them, they waved back, bringing tears to her eyes.
At the end of the parade, there was an announcement that the tax on alcohol would be suspended for the next ten days. This led to so much merrymaking in the capital that nearly all its liquor stores were cleared out.
Meruru herself was invited to a celebration held in one of the lavishly decorated palace’s banquet halls. Her family was also invited to attend, so she arrived, her parents and four older brothers in tow, with everyone wearing crisply ironed outfits.
“Then a super giant monster showed up, and Admiral Garara ordered me to be his right arm! So I went boom boom boom!”
Meruru now recounted her exploits to her family with excitement and pride at the party. They all listened with interest while also a little overwhelmed by the extravagant dishes covering the tables around them.
“Damn, that’s quite the story,” her father said. “So that’s why they gave you such a big reward.”
“Mm-hm!”
In the end, Meruru had given all the money she had received to her parents. They refused profusely, saying that they could not accept such a large amount, but she insisted that this was her way of thanking them for raising her. After a lot of heated back-and-forth, her parents eventually folded.
“So, what’re you gonna do now? Return to Ratash?”
“Um...I think so.”
“I see. So we won’t see you again for another year.”
“I-I think so.”
Because Baukisian students going on exchange received a stipend on top of their tuition being subsidized, Meruru had chosen to go on exchange to lower the financial burden of her parents, who were paying her way through school. At this moment, Meruru had no idea that Allen was going to arrange for all the No-life Gamers to graduate after only two years of school, and therefore she still thought she would be returning to Ratash soon.
