WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

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◈ Omniscient First-Person's Viewpoint

Chapter 27

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Resistance (2)

Kanisen steadied himself and snapped his head around.

"If you've gotten yourselves together, come out now. We need to move. Time is short!"

Alpha and Beta apparently hadn't been the only ones hiding in the supply crate. A chorus of voices answered from deeper inside. Moments later, amid shuffling and grunting, two people climbed down, hauling a square metal case between them.

Kanisen gave them a single glance, then strode over to me.

"Comrade."

Why the hell am I your comrade. I kept that thought to myself and put on a smile. With a grave expression, Kanisen gripped my shoulder firmly.

"We need your help, comrade. Help us, and in return, we'll get you out of here."

"Escape? Really?"

"Of course. Unlike the military state, the Resistance doesn't lie to the people."

Ha. Sure. I suppose that counts as an escape, technically. Leave the body behind and make a grand getaway to the great beyond.

Look at that face. Not even a flicker. If I hadn't had mind reading, I'd have stood there watching them plant bombs without a clue and gotten blown to pieces.

Still, I couldn't let on that I'd figured it out. He was a knight-class fighter. Without any equipment, I was no match for him. Better not to give him any reason for suspicion and just play along.

A wry smile, feigned ignorance. I gave him exactly the reaction he wanted.

"Escape? You're getting me out of this godforsaken hole where sunlight never reaches? You're promising me that?"

"Of course. I keep my promises."

"Then leave it to me! What do you need, comrade!"

Kanisen swept his gaze around the area and fell quiet, turning the problem over.

'The prison is larger than I expected. We brought a considerable amount of explosives, but even this won't be enough to completely destroy Tantalus. Blowing up the cliffs as originally planned would only bring down the rock face, leaving the main facilities intact. What I need most right now is the right point, where minimum explosives yield maximum effect. Since we've come all the way down into the Abyss, I'd prefer to strike at the very foundation itself.'

He turned to me.

"You said you'd been here a few days. Then you'd have a rough idea of how this oppressor's prison is laid out."

"Not all of it, but I've had a look around. Besides the prisoners who were already here, I probably know it better than anyone."

"Good. Were there any locations that seemed important? Places where something worth noting might be found?"

"Hmm. Somewhere important."

Oh, there is. A perfect spot I've been saving just for you.

I raised a finger and pointed.

"The underground armory over there. There's a massive steel door sealed shut, but it opens on its own every now and then. I peeked inside once, and there was quite a lot in there."

A thousand-year-old vampire would be waiting inside. Delivering a live blood lunch, express service. Enjoy the meal, dear vampire. Oh, the packaging is non-recyclable, so handle disposal yourself.

"And the security room on the first floor of the prison seemed to have weapons and equipment in there, probably for keeping violent prisoners in line."

The first floor had Tantalus's final weapon, the regressor who would greet you warmly by trying to cut your arms off. Tell her you were here to bring the place down, and she'd aim for the neck. Next time they met, it would be head and body going their separate ways.

"And that place over there?"

Where Kanisen pointed was the management office, set apart from the main prison building. Walls crumbled, roof caved in, reduced to half-standing rubble.

Hmm. Better they don't go there. Nothing in there to get them killed.

I kept my expression flat.

"I went once. Nothing there. Just rubble, nothing worth salvaging."

"Rubble, you say."

'The other buildings are still standing, but that one alone is covered in signs of destruction. Someone deliberately broke it. That means there's something inside that wasn't meant to fall into other hands, or equipment left partially used. Either way, with resources stretched thin, if we're scouting anywhere, that's the first place.'

All I'd done was pull his attention straight to it.

Damn. Sharp mind on him, no question.

Still in the palm of my hand, though.

"I've decided. Everyone listen up."

Kanisen called the others over. They'd been scanning their surroundings with coiled nerves and hurried to gather in front of him. One stumbled on the way, body still stiff from the crate. Somehow they assembled in one spot, faces tight.

Kanisen pointed at each of them in turn.

"Alpha, head to the underground armory. If there are explosives or weapons there, bring them back. We're short on arms."

"Understood!"

Kanisen turned. The woman who'd fired at Azzy earlier flinched and clutched her gun.

"Beta. Head to the first floor of the prison. There may be weapons for controlling prisoners. If you run into any, avoid confrontation as much as possible, make something up, and keep scouting."

"W-what? I have to face the prisoners of Tantalus?"

Beta shook her head, looking anything but confident. Kanisen sighed, quiet but clearly audible.

"You're the most careful one here, Beta. And the best shot. Scouting while avoiding a fight is exactly what you're suited for."

"B-but, Captain. You saw what just happened. The prisoners here are monsters who can catch bullets mid-air. G-guns won't work against them."

"We already wagered our lives. Coming down here was the same as dying. Will you tremble with fear after making it this far?"

Kanisen glared at her, but she still looked frightened. He held her gaze a moment longer, then sighed.

'I can't change someone's character on the spot. Having her bullet caught between someone's teeth must have knocked her confidence badly. In moments like this, even if it doesn't quite fit...'

"Fine. Alpha, we're switching assignments. You go to the first floor. Beta goes to the armory."

Alpha stepped forward and answered at the top of his lungs.

"Leave it to me. I won't flinch!"

"Confidence is fine, but don't forget the basics. The target is likely terrifyingly strong. Avoid combat at all costs. And Beta, since you're going somewhere relatively safe, hand your military equipment over to Alpha."

"Y-yes..."

Beta quickly pulled out the large disc she'd been carrying on her back.

The silver disc, cast from what looked like solid metal, had dozens of characters engraved along concentric rings, with a hole bored through the center just large enough to fit a fist. At a glance, you'd mistake it for a weight-training disc.

Its true nature was something else entirely. Military equipment, forged by the military state. A war-suit.

The silver disc that formed the war-suit's core was the most powerful weapon they'd brought, yet Beta handed it to Alpha with the relief of someone setting down a heavy load.

Alpha looked delighted to have it, but Kanisen clearly wasn't pleased. He clicked his tongue.

"Tch."

'The war-suit is a powerful weapon. It would make more sense for Beta to wear it, given her precision and composure despite her lack of physical strength. But there's no helping it. They've already thrown their lives away. Right now, what's needed is determination over talent. Like Alpha.'

Alpha accepted the war-suit eagerly and looked to Kanisen.

"Captain. Can I put it on now?"

"Go ahead."

"Yes! Then here we go!"

With Kanisen's approval, Alpha rolled up his sleeve to expose the biometric terminal on his wrist, then slid his arm through the hole in the silver disc.

In that instant, a flash of magical light.

The metal disc split apart, top and bottom. With the sound of metal meshing, the disc clacked and shifted shape, crawling up Alpha's arm as if swallowing it whole. Hard, rough metal wrapped around his left arm. As the plating coiled up, the connecting wires contracted and cinched tight.

Clank, clank. Regular, perfectly interlocking sounds rang out one after another, the kind that would send a metalworker somewhere close to ecstasy. Gears turned. Ridges locked into grooves. And so the steel plating covered Alpha's body piece by piece, sealing every gap.

Before long, he stood clad in a massive suit of steel armor. A helmet covering the entire face, steel scales filling every seam. Sealed in steel without a single exposed inch, he clenched his fist with pure exhilaration. Metal scraped against metal.

"Ha ha! I could die happy now!"

The military state was a nation that turned everything in the world into a weapon. True to form, the moment clothing packets appeared in the world, they'd had a different idea from the start.

Clothing could be made into packets.

Armor was also clothing.

Then couldn't armor be made into a packet that could be put on and taken off just as easily?

Through this blunt, one-track syllogism, the military state set out to research how to alchemize armor into a packet. The fact that alchemizing cloth and iron were worlds apart in difficulty wasn't their concern. That was for the engineers to sort out.

Whatever the engineers' protests might have been. After burning through countless human and material resources, the military state eventually completed the technology to turn armor into a packet.

That was this. The war-suit.

The pinnacle of the military state's alchemic arcane engineering.

"This power is incredible. With this, I don't think I can lose to anyone!"

Alpha cried out, drunk on the feeling of invincibility. His voice rang with confidence through the metal. Just as Kanisen had hoped, he showed no sign of being intimidated even inside the war-suit.

Which was also exactly what Kanisen didn't like about him. He clicked his tongue.

"Don't be ridiculous. The war-suit only augments your strength. Beating an enemy is a matter of your own skill."

"But with this much..."

Alpha's burning gaze drifted toward Azzy. Azzy, who had been yawning with mild boredom, caught the faint bloodlust and tilted her head slightly, glancing his way.

Wow. Really rushing toward death. No idea who he's dealing with.

'This reckless fool, not knowing his place!'

I wasn't the only one who thought so. Kanisen's eyes went wide.

"Alpha!"

Alpha flinched at the sharp call.

"Don't act rashly! Stick to your mission! Take off that visor, you can't see a thing! Your job right now is scouting, not fighting!"

"Yes, yes. Sorry."

'Good grief. Nothing is ever simple.'

While Alpha hurriedly removed the helmet and visor, Kanisen turned to the remaining two. Gamma and Delta. Support operatives, both of them, combat capability well below Alpha and Beta's, and expecting much from them in a fight wasn't realistic.

Delta was a meticulous rear-support type, and Gamma had once worked as an engineer for the military state. With targeted demolition mattering more than random bombing now, Gamma was the most critical person in the group.

"Delta, stay here and watch over these..."

His gaze went to Azzy and me. Mostly Azzy. Something between reverence and dread flickered in his eyes.

"Keep watch over them. Don't let them near the management office, it could be dangerous. If you can... yes. Play ball or something."

"Understood..."

Well, look at that. Thorough right to the end. Not letting his guard down for a second.

Whatever I was, Azzy was the King of Dogs. Someone who could slaughter everyone here if she felt like it. Of course he was wary.

Though being the King of Dogs, she couldn't actually harm humans, so it was all talk. He wouldn't be able to think that far ahead, though.

"Good. Gamma, you're with me at the management office. Having an engineer along will make for a better assessment."

"Yes, sir!"

"All right. Everyone gather up."

The Resistance members put their hands together in a huddle. Hands stacked, but their minds were scattered to the winds.

Some were gripped by fear. Others had nothing on their minds except proving themselves. One of them had blindly followed friends, ended up here almost by accident, and was still regretting the choice.

None of that showed on the surface, though. From the outside, they just looked like a ragtag bunch that didn't quite fit together.

"Everyone. Let's spend our lives. Spend them to land a blow on that hateful military state."

"Yes, Captain!"

"Good. Scatter!"

Even so, what had brought them this far was hatred of the military state and the bond they shared with each other. Enough of a foundation, it seemed, because not one of them refused or hesitated. The Resistance members each moved off toward their assigned locations.

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