But she couldn’t communicate those calculation methods and formulas to Akira, even through telepathy—whether she expressed them numerically or in images, they’d be far beyond the scope of his understanding. And even if he did somehow understand them, he’d never be able to perform those calculations without Alpha’s help—let alone do so continuously, while staying vigilant of his surroundings. It would overload his brain.

  Of course, I could teach you an extremely dumbed-down version, but there’d be no point, since you can already manage that level of accuracy on your own, she finished.

  So in other words, I have no choice but to become experienced enough to sense whether an area’s dangerous on my own?

  Exactly. The only way to hone your intuition is through experience. Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t use some tools to expedite the process, like my helpful color-coding.

  Looking around once more, Akira saw that he was engulfed in a sea of red. Even if he didn’t know why the area was dangerous, it clearly was. Since he hadn’t even been able to notice that much without Alpha’s help, he had no choice but to acknowledge he’d failed, and that his intuition sorely needed polishing. Alpha’s support was a helpful shortcut to that goal. Intuition? Like, getting a bad feeling about something? Can you really rely on that? Now that he thought about it, perhaps intuition was what had kept him alive back when he was running around the slums, hiding in the corners of the back alleys. Reflecting on those days with a complicated smile, he resumed his search of the ruins, trying to rely more on his intuition.

  All the monsters Akira was encountering in the Mihazono business district kept turning out to be machines. Even the ones that seemed to be organic at first glance were revealed to be mechanical once they were destroyed. At one point, a monster resembling a large dog had made a beeline for him at a speed no normal canine could hope to match. But after some careful scouting and quick sniping on his part, metallic fragments scattered everywhere as it collapsed to the ground in a heap, and a metal framework could be clearly seen from the hole blown in its torso.

  Akira looked puzzled. A cyborg? No, the head’s mechanical too. Why are all the monsters here machines?

  Probably because there’s nothing in these ruins for organic monsters to eat. Or maybe the guards wiped them all out. Even the trees lining the streets here are also made of metal, constructed with the same nanomaterial as the guards, so they wouldn’t serve as sustenance either.

  Akira gazed at the trees on either side of the road, vibrant green and completely indistinguishable from real ones. You’re kidding.

  They’re kind of like imitation flowers, Alpha added.

  That only made him more uneasy—watching the artificial trees decorating the streets, he saw simulacra that, unlike genuine trees, would never wither.

  Chapter 105: A Concern Laid to Rest

  As Akira continued through Mihazono’s business district toward the Serantal Building, a small plane flew by overhead.

  Hey, I saw that thing pass by earlier too. Since it’s not trying to attack us, I guess it’s a spy plane? Or maybe a surveillance drone?

  Most likely. She considered for a moment. Don’t go any farther than this for now. If you do, you’ll probably run into trouble.

  She directed Akira, who had been making his way through Mihazono’s streets, to enter the building closest to him. He climbed the staircase and headed for higher ground. With his powered suit, climbing the long stretch of stairs was easy—for his body at least. But the building loomed so tall that ascending flight after flight started to take a toll on his psyche. As he rose higher and higher, his eyes couldn’t help but be drawn to the elevator on each floor.

  Alpha, are you sure we can’t try the elevator?

  Positive. Stick to the stairs. It might work at first, but if something goes wrong, you’ll be trapped in a confined space with little hope of escape. So you’ll just have to persevere.

  Very well. Akira sighed and continued climbing.

  As he reached the fourteenth floor, Akira discovered a glass corridor from which he could see the entire area outside. Looking out over the landscape, Akira’s face grew grim.

  The marker indicating the presence of a Lion’s Tail terminal was pointing to a place near the top of the Serantal Building, on a floor even higher than the one he stood on now. The building itself was tall enough to be seen from anywhere in Mihazono’s business district, and the ravaged townscape seemed to wrap around it, almost as though it ruled over the land.

  But that wasn’t all. On the building’s grounds, he could see groups of weaponized guards, different from the machines he’d encountered here thus far. Autonomous weapons equipped with huge missile pods guarded the perimeter, alongside robots (each resembling a senior citizen’s rolling walker) that were loaded with machine guns.

  No wonder you told me not to go any further! Hmm... Yeah, those look way more dangerous than anything we fought on the way here.

  Up until now, we’ve only come across machines that guard the whole district. Those mechanical monstrosities down there are likely the Serantal Building’s specialized defense force. As such, expect their specs and coordination systems to be completely different.

  Specs I get, but what does it matter to us if their coordination is any good? They’re monsters, so they’re just going to attack us regardless. Now curious, and wanting to get a better look at each monster, he aimed his CWH toward the skyscraper. When he wanted to magnify a single point in his vision, looking through his rifle’s scope actually gave superior results to zooming in with the scanner.

  A great deal, actually. Since their coordination systems and the area under their protection differ from the regular bots, they probably use a different network for sharing information as well. That can lead to many other differences, including— Akira! Run!

  Akira didn’t hesitate—he could ask questions later. All that mattered right now was doing exactly as Alpha instructed. From the look on her face and his countless near-death experiences in the past, he knew this was the only way he’d survive. With Alpha’s support and his suit running at full power, he nimbly dashed out of the corridor. In the pressure of the moment, he reflexively heightened his sense of time, and even as the world around him slowed to a crawl, he kept running.

  In his Alpha-augmented vision, a screen popped up with a view of the scene behind him. His face stiffened as he watched. Several monsters with missile pods were continuously firing from the Serantal Building’s grounds—and the missiles were headed his way. Wave after wave bombarded the side of the building Akira was in. It would take more than that to topple an Old World construction like this immediately—but the force of the explosions blasted holes in the wall, giving the next group of missiles free entry.

  Having gained entry to the building, the leading missile slammed against the wall of the room inside and detonated. The next missile destroyed the wall of the next room, and the several rockets that followed kept blasting a path through the rooms until they found their way to Akira.

  Akira, whose quick reflexes had already brought him to the other side of the building, managed to avoid the brunt of the missile barrage. But as Akira bolted down the long hallway, the final missile dogged him from behind.

  Intercept it, Akira!

  Roger! Akira leaped forward, did a half spin in the air, and trained his CWH and his DVTS minigun on the approaching missile. Lining up the sights, he unleashed a barrage of bullets. He’d already outfitted both guns with mods that improved their strength and rate of fire. Each shot also had Alpha’s guidance and so struck its target dead-on.

  One second later and he would’ve taken the full brunt of the missile, becoming mincemeat. But for him, a second had been more than enough time to react. The force of the bullets shoved the missile off course, and it collided with a wall.

  Normal bullets weren’t dense enough to disrupt a missile’s trajectory, but these were designed to take down powerful behemoths. Extended magazines allowed Akira to keep up a continuous barrage that, with Alpha’s precise calculations, made this feat possible.

  Still, as the missile impacted against the wall, the force of the ensuing explosion struck Akira. He was far away enough to avoid the brunt of the blast, but as the hallway erupted in thick smoke and bright flame, he was blown backward, slamming into the wall behind him. The wall fractured, leaving countless cracks in a pattern that resembled a spider’s web. Even his powered suit had been unable to completely absorb the impact, and intense pain surged through his body. He didn’t even have the energy to support himself against the wall and crumpled to the floor in a heap, only able to get up on all fours before vomiting blood.

  His whole body was screaming in pain, but his mind was clear, and he immediately reached for his pack to fish out some medicine. He was so badly injured that if he hadn’t been wearing a powered suit, his limbs couldn’t have properly responded to his brain’s commands. However, his suit was a reading-type, which could interpret the neurotransmitters in his brain. It carried out his wishes in his limbs’ stead, and he successfully grabbed the capsules and popped them in his mouth. Despite the revolting taste of blood, he forced himself to swallow, and the expensive recovery nanomachines proved that they were worth their price as they went to work on his body. He felt the pain instantly subside. As analgesics, they were already plenty effective, but in no time at all his limbs were also healed enough to move again.

  Akira got to his feet and let out a deep sigh. Then, in an attempt to convince himself that all was well, he forced a grin.

  “Whew! Damn, that was rough!”

  Now that you can move again, let’s get out of here, Alpha suggested. I’m not sure if there’ll be another barrage, and we shouldn’t stick around to find out.

  “Roger that!” Akira glanced ahead and saw that a section of the corridor had crumbled. Through the destroyed walls and rooms, he could glimpse the outside—proof of how persistent the missiles had been. Seeing the damage they’d done to the building in their attempt to reach him, he grimaced as he headed for the stairs.

  Once Akira had made it to a relatively safer spot, he took some time to catch his breath. There was no sign of anything pursuing him. By now, the medicine had long since done its job, so after reloading his ammo and replacing his energy pack, he and his equipment were back in peak condition. Reassured, he finally calmed down and allowed himself to relax and his mind to wander.

  Then a doubt crossed his mind. “I know those were mechanical monsters, but they’re supposed to be guarding the ruins, right? Why would they go as far as to destroy a building in the ruins they’re protecting just to get rid of one hunter?”

  Well, as I was saying earlier, it’s probably because their coordination systems and the area under their jurisdiction are different from those of the regular bots. Sprinkling in her own guesses here and there, Alpha explained that the monsters that had just attacked Akira were meant to defend the Serantal Building, not the rest of Mihazono. As such, their coordination systems and area of activity were isolated from the rest of the ruin, and they were specifically programmed to disregard damage to anything except what they were supposed to defend.

  The edifices around the Serantal Building were all in ruins: the guardians tasked with defending it had attacked other hunters the same way they’d gone after Akira, reducing the structures to collateral damage. Even the ruin’s autorestoration was no longer able to repair them. And the circle of destruction around the Serantal Building indicated the radius of the guards’ patrol routes—the building Akira was currently resting in was still standing because it lay outside this circle.

  Akira looked puzzled. “But I was outside that area back then too, right? So why did they attack me anyway?” He grimaced as understanding dawned. “It’s because I pointed my gun at the building, isn’t it?”

  Most likely. But don’t dwell on that too much—careless though it was, in a ruin like this it’ll be a bigger problem if worrying about it keeps you from shooting when it counts.

  Akira fell silent. “Okay, got it,” he said at last.

  Alpha gave him a gentle smile, and sensing her concern for him, he found himself smiling as well. But he still couldn’t help but feel a little dispirited. After weathering several bounty hunts, he’d grown more confident in his own abilities, and had entered Mihazono—a ruin said to require a significant degree of skill—with this same confidence. But now it was clear that at his current level, those monsters would annihilate him before he’d ever reach the door to the Serantal Building.

  Alpha looked a bit stern. Akira, I’ll ask you now—while you can still change your mind—what do you want to do from here? Stick to the plan and head for the marked spot? Or turn back?

  Turn back, Akira wanted to respond, but something inside him kept him from doing so. At first, Akira felt like he only had one option—retreat. As he was now, it would be far too reckless to go up against such monstrosities. Yet Alpha had given him a choice. This meant that even at his current level, there was still a way he could proceed safely—or at least more safely than in the many hopeless battles that Alpha had stopped him from rushing into thus far. Realizing this, Akira wondered if he was merely letting his cowardice get the better of him. After a moment of uncertainty, he faced Alpha again with a serious expression. “If I said I wanted to continue, would you try to stop me?”

  Alpha gave him a smile. If you want to head in there, I won’t stop you. I’ll be with you every step of the way, of course, and you’re sufficiently equipped. The question is, do you have the necessary resolve?

  “That attack just now was pretty rough. You sure I’ll be able to handle it?”

  That was just because it took you by surprise. And even then—thanks to me—you made it out of there relatively unscathed, didn’t you? I think you’ll be fine. Then Alpha gave him a provoking grin. Although, you will need a bit of recklessness to pull it off, and a considerable degree of resolve. So I won’t force you. If you want to turn tail, that’s fine with me.

  Akira looked a bit surprised for a moment, but then a dry smile crept to his lips. Finally, he grinned back at Alpha boldly. “Just how much resolve are we talking here? I know resolve is my burden and all and I have your support, but if you tell me I’m gonna need the resolve to be swallowed by a gigantic monster again, I’m out.”

  I’m not asking for that much. She smiled. Compared to that ordeal, all I’m asking is for you to just be a little more fired up than normal. After all, you’ll have me by your side this time.

  A look passed between them, and Akira’s decision was made. “All right, let’s do this!” If he’d need resolve on this path, then he ought to start summoning it now. So he steeled himself and chose to press onward—for the sake of someday completing Alpha’s job and recompensing her fairly for her support, which he considered an initial investment. For the sake of repaying all the debts he owed her, he would make it all happen—or die trying. If he wasn’t able to at least promise that much to himself, he might as well quit now—and most of all, if he couldn’t even handle this level of risk, he’d be a poor excuse for a hunter.

  Are you sure? As I said earlier, you’re going to need a fair amount of resolve.

  “Yeah, I’m ready. Resolve is my burden, after all.”

  He grinned, as if it had been an obvious choice, and Alpha beamed as though she could barely contain her happiness.

  ◆

  With his heart prepared and his weapons ready, Akira stood on the roof of the building he’d been resting in. Once he’d decided to press on, he’d gone back to the first floor to scope out the Serantal Building’s structure with his scanner, then headed up twenty-seven floors to the roof. At the top, he got rid of anything that would hinder him during battle—his pack, his data terminal, the weapons he didn’t need, and any spare ammunition that was just weighing him down. He only brought along his powered suit (after swapping out the energy pack) and his CWH rifle and DVTS minigun (each of which he’d already reloaded with fresh ammo and energy packs). He’d also ingested as many time-release capsules of medicine as he could handle, and had a few more in his mouth ready to swallow when needed.

  The place where he was standing was on the side facing away from the Serantal Building, meaning he was outside the enemy’s surveillance.

  He was resolved, and he was ready.

  With a smile, Alpha confirmed one final time, All right, Akira. Are you prepared?

  Any time, he responded, looking focused.

  Satisfied, she declared, Then...begin!

  Akira charged forward with no hesitation. The battle had begun.

  The Serantal defense force instantly detected a presence running headlong into their radius, and moved to intercept it. Unconcerned, Akira sped up—and leaped off the roof on the side facing the Serantal Building!

  In freefall, he readied his DVTS minigun, aimed it toward the group of mechanical monsters on the grounds below, and pulled the trigger. A continuous hailstorm of bullets supplied by extended magazines streaked toward the distant targets below.

  Akira had modded his DVTS to include a force field armor function, reducing the weight of the minigun and the recoil of its fire. But now he’d intentionally switched it off—thanks to his powered suit, his body remained unharmed from the recoil, which he used to propel himself against the side of the building he’d just leaped off. His continuous stream of fire, made possible with the extended magazine, kept both his feet firmly on the wall as he ran down the side, his powered suit further supporting his balance. As he descended, he raised his CWH and began firing it as well. He’d also modified this weapon, allowing it to use even more powerful proprietary ammo than before, and the recoil from this was so strong that Akira’s feet carved fissures in the building wall as he ran.

 

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