Chapter 106 – Masquerade Party (20)

“Hunting is a culture that boasts a long history, dating back to when humans were not considered humans… but beings closer to animals.”

Inside the innermost part of the Raptor’s formation, within the commander’s exclusive tank covered with not only a 240 mm thick panel and tank shield but also protected by numerous armored vehicles and soldiers, was Sol Amar, watching over the situation with binoculars as he spoke to his adjutant.

“It’s a culture worthy of celebration. It signifies that the species has decided to stand above the others as predators, does it not? Which is why the ancient humans considered hunting sacred. Such as Artemis in Greek mythology, Rudra in India, Skadi in Northern Europe, Masarai in Papua New Guinea, and so forth… Are you listening?”

It was a question from Pack Leader Sol Amar, commander-in-chief of the Raptor’s troops, but his adjutant did not answer. That was because just ten minutes ago, he was beaten to death with Sol’s studded gloves when he was angered.

Of course, Sol had no interest in his adjutant’s state and was merely displeased by his adjutant’s lack of response.

“It means that this is a sacred tradition. Hunting, that is. And today is the day where the Raptors are not going on just any normal hunt, but a hunt with five of the Raptor’s corps participating that will be recorded in history. But why…?”

Thump!

“Why?”

Thud!

“Why?!!”

Splurch!

“In this moment, when those pieces of scrap metal are just about to be presented under the Raptor banner, why are there rats running around inside of our formation, you incompetent pieces of s—?”

Sol continued to crush his foot down on his adjutant’s head for a while, then settled back down. His doctor had told him to watch his blood pressure, so he needed to calm down. It would be nonsense for him to shorten his lifespan over puny rats like these. He needed to live a long time. Long enough to see the day the great Raptor’s objective was reached. How could he, Sol Amar, miss the day of such honor?

Kicking the adjutant’s corpse away, which was sprawled on the floor like melted ice cream on a hot table, Sol turned around and glared at the Noisy Pack soldiers that were tapping away on the dashboard inside.

“I believe I heard that the armored vehicle will be impossible to start. But I see, that was a false report, wasn’t it?”

“W-we’re investigating the problem the best we can, sir!”

“Do you not know the meaning of impossible? I’m doubtful that a soldier lacking enough intelligence to understand the mere meaning of a word is able enough to carry out such an important duty for the Raptors…”

“P-please! Just give me one more chance, sir!”

Looking at the terrified expression of the soldier, Sol let out a deep sigh. He was scared. Wasn’t the emotion that the soldier should be feeling right now shame, not fear? Give him a chance. He already had the honorable chance of serving the Raptors, threw it away like garbage, and wants another chance?

Sol Amar sadly raised his favorite gun, the Luger. No matter how carefully he selected and selected again, these disgraces as humans continued to appear. He had much too heavy a load to bear on his shoulders.

“A-ahhhhh!”

But just as he was about to pull the trigger…

“I found it! We identified the cause!”

Another soldier, who seemed to have been looking through several other things on his screen to the point his eyes went bloodshot, raised his hand.

“Oh, I see. There is still at least one who does their job, even among the useless. So, what is the reason why the ‘impossible’ lock that idiot mentioned broke?”

“It…was accessed by the Executive Rank.”

“Executive Rank?”

“Yes. A code with higher authority than the Noisy Pack forcefully unlocked the encryption and took control.”

“You…can you hold responsibility for what you just said?”

“Huh?”

Click!

The barrel that had been pointed at the terrified soldier turned its head toward its new prey.

“The Executive Rank you’re talking about is referring to the four Swarm Alphas that exist in the entirety of the Raptor Society. If what you said is true, then that means that one of them personally came here alone without any bodyguards or prior announcement and logged into an armored car full of kids. No matter how you think about it, there is no reason for them to do so. Or, do you have some explanation that can fill in the parts my lack of imagination missed?”

“I-i-it’s true! But… But it definitely says on the access history that an Executive Rank logged in…!”

Keeping the gun pointed at the shaking soldier’s head, Sol turned his gaze towards the screen that the soldier was desperately pointing at. It definitely said so on the screen. Administrator code, access denied. Executive Rank request. Code…

“Ian…Desmont…”

In that moment, a silence that made it hard even to breathe enveloped the air within the commander’s tank. Sol was a very expressive person. But none of the soldiers inside the room were able to find a word that fit the description of the man’s expression at that moment.

“Phehahahahah…”

But it felt like they had just witnessed something terrifyingly unpleasant.

“Hahahahahahahahah!!!”

Sol brought his vacant hand up to his head and started to laugh as if he just heard something absolutely hilarious, almost as if he were choking.

“Oh, my goodness gracious! General Ashfield, he’s back! I thought he had died! Right! There were originally five Swarm Alphas! Hahahahahahah! Adjutant! Adjutaant!!! Bring me my inhaler! I might actually die of laughter!!!”

Sol, who had been waving his hands wildly and slapping his knee like a character in a play, then raced towards the trembling soldier that found the access history and wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

“Congratulations! You’re promoted!”

“P-pardon?”

“You’ve done a great deed! Starting today, you’re my adjutant! So I’d like you to hurry and start preparing instead of messing around with these machines.”

“What… preparations do you mean, sir?”

“What a foolish question!”

Bang!

The wide smile on Sol’s face turned to an expression of disappointment at the soldier’s question, then he turned and shot the soldier who claimed something about it being ‘impossible’, then shifted his attention back to his new adjutant and grabbed him by the collar.

“A ceremony, of course! The founder of Raptor, the God of Hunting, has returned, so how can I greet him with my current outfit? Ian Desmont, General Ashfield, has returned!”

Behind the eyes glazed with madness was a whirlwind of emotions that included anger, hatred, and affection.

Be-Beep—

[Administration Code. Access Denied.]

Be-Beep—

[Administration Code. Access Denied.]

Be-Beep—

[Administration Code. Comm Request R-01.]

‘R-01? The Commander’s vehicle? Well, that was quick.’

Ian knew the moment he saw that the opponent that had been attempting to access the armored vehicle had requested a comm from him. That they figured out his identity.

‘Thanks to Vex causing a commotion inside, the enemy’s tank line can’t concentrate on just artillery. From experience, it took a while to smooth things out unless someone higher up yelled at them what to do… If I keep their commander busy right now, then it might help in escaping.’

The veteran soldier must also have finished preparations, as the engine of the tank in front of them rattled into life. They were prepared to leave at any moment. But the problem was that the moment they left formation, their backs would be left wide open to the enemy.

He did have a card up his sleeve, though.

‘Those Dome buddies shouldn’t be complete idiots. When I went past them earlier, it looked like they were huddled up and saving battery, preparing for something. They were probably just temporarily crouched down because they didn’t have a chance…’

But a chance was going to be made. The moment they ventured out of the tanks’ blind spot, most of the tanks were going to turn their target toward them.

‘They’ll have to utilize that short moment well. Will they be able to pull it off?’

Ian grimaced when he remembered Ezel’s dumb face, but he needed to do whatever he could to cause confusion for the enemy.

Tzzt—

After a moment of static, a bright melody flowed out of the communication device.

[Bam! Ba-da-bam! Bam-bam-bba-ba-ba-bam! Ba-bam!]

“What is…the band?”

It was slightly off-tune, but it was definitely the melody he was familiar with. It was the Raptor’s anthem that they played during special events. But why’s that playing from the comms of the enemy’s commander vehicle? And a live band too?

[Du-du-du-du-du- clang!]

The anthem ended with the sounds of drums and cymbals, and then came a voice that sounded especially serious.

[Rifle… salute!]

[Clack! Clack!]

“What’s with all of this bulls—…?”

[Hahahahah! You must be confused! I understand! These people with subpar skill were playing to greet not just anyone, but the Raptor’s Swarm Alpha, after all! How could you not be devastated? You worthless rats! How dare you taint General Ashfield’s ears!]

Bang! Bang! Bang!

An elevated voice, and three gunshots that followed.

It was a voice he knew well. Tone like that of a ridiculous clown, and a voice coated with fat that made him feel suffocated just listening to it.

“Sol Amar.”

Ian’s growling voice made the opponent’s violent curses return to his bright, cheerful praises.

[How could this be?! You remember me? What an honor! No, this isn’t the time to be doing this. Adjutant! A-adjutant! Record this instantly! General Ian Desmont, who revealed himself after 3 years and 7 months, still remembered my name, Sol Amar, even after all those years!]

Grrrind!

How could he forget? That clownlike bastard, that bastard who claimed he would jump into a fire if it was his command! Had said to him in that same bright voice that he killed his wife and child.

“…You’ve grown. To think you’re a Pack Leader, and the commander-in-chief of an expeditionary army at that. You seem quite happy right now. Why? Does being in a position too high for you to fit in make you feel better about yourself?”

[Hahahahah. It merely reminds me of my heavy responsibility. You haven’t changed a bit since that day, General Ashfield. Ah, although other parts of you have changed drastically. Please forgive me for not recognizing your new appearance. The man that passed the triceratops line is you, correct? You are much more… manly-looking now.]

“Changing your mindset really changes a person, I tell you. Unlike someone I know, I’ve somewhat changed my ways.”

‘So he was watching everything after all.’

That baconator bastard must have had some condition where he needed to watch over the entire battlefield, watching everything through his binoculars like some stalker. If he was watching me, then it wouldn’t have been difficult to connect it together with the access history. The only ones that were in here were me, Vex, and the children, but there was no way to mistake Vex for me.

[Ahh, that cynical response. I missed it so much. Ashfield. If it weren’t for that damned prostitute, you would have still been with the Raptors, burning down any enemy that stood in your way and carving your name into the world.]

Listening to the man’s wistful voice, Ian redigested his anger. That wasn’t mocking. That bastard really thought that he had been corrupted by his wife.

“All of that fat must have clogged up your brain too, but I’m going to go find you even without you squealing into my ear, so just sit there and wait. I’ll kindly chop off that fat and bring you down to at least obesity.”

[My my, are you angry at me? Ian Desmont, angry? Oh, how far you have fallen. Wasn’t it General Ashfield who taught me? It is only when you remove irrational factors like emotions that the battlefield becomes clear. I still can’t forget even a second of the moment you told me that, but you, who told me that, have become such an emotional person! It’s a shame that killing that b—h wasn’t enough to return you to your old self. My poor hero.]

Grrrrrind!

The violent sound of Ian gritting his teeth together rang throughout the armored car’s cockpit.

[Hm. If the man back there was General Ashfield, then was he your acquaintance? Oh my goodness! I just shot him in ignorance, but if I knew he was General Ashfield’s acquaintance, I would have captured him at all costs! My greatest of apologies! I had been hunting for entertainment, but I kept missing because the target was so small. It was nice watching him squirm on the floor too.]

“That mother—*ing bastard…”

[Why do you keep doing that? Making useless emotional obstacles and such! Your head is full of useless thoughts that blur your judgment!]

Baang!

[That’s why you’re making the foolish move of crawling into the kill zone!]

The armored car vibrated like there was an earthquake. It meant an artillery shot landed nearby and that they were now out of the blind spot and within their attack range.

‘I crawled out here on purpose, you fat hog.’

It would have looked foolish if he was running away. From the moment he stepped foot outside, he was exposed to the crossfire of the tanks.

‘But we’re not the only ones out here right now.’

A T-7 tank and armored car slipped out of the tight formation. There was now a gap in the massive steel wall, and the fire that was trained on the Dome’s Exosuit squad was turned toward them.

“…Even if those Dome guys are a bunch of hammerheads, they know how to bite like one too. They’ll end you with one shot!”

Clunk! Clunk!

And as if responding to Ian’s expectations, the Exosuits released their protective field and charged towards the empty gap in the middle of the Raptor’s tank line.

Among them, Ian turned the armored car towards an Exosuit that was running with the others at the tail of the formation.

“Ezel! Ezel Raiden!!!”

Thoomp!

It looked like he couldn’t hear, so he crashed into the metal frame. After momentarily swaying, Ezel pointed the massive Exosuit’s pulse rifle towards him.

Thunk!

“It’s me, you f—ing bastard!”

[You’re… Metal Jaw?]

“Yeah! Come over here and take the wounded!”

[Tzzt— EZ-07! Hurry up! The Dome will disappear if we don’t turn the tables right now!]

“I’m at least a hundred times better at fighting than you, so take Vex and the kids here to a safe place!”

While Ezel was still conflicted, Ian released the bindings around Vex and dragged him out of the armored car’s hatch. Instantly seeing how serious of a state he was in, Ezel quit hesitating and carefully wrapped the suit’s two arms around the body. While he was doing so, the children inside the armored car ran out and started to hang onto the empty spots on Ezel’s Exosuit.

[W-woah! What’s with the kids? It’s not just a couple of them?]

“They’re expendable pilots!”

[Expendable… what?]

“I’ll tell you later! Anyway, you take the kids and Vex to the hospital! Left abdomen ruptured by a large caliber bullet! It looks like a little bit of his kidney and small intestine were ripped out, so I stopped the bleeding with the spray and shot a revival kit into him! Tell them that!”

[He’s basically as good as dead…]

“Save him no matter what! I’ll believe in you.”

One elderly man and three children were in the tank that went ahead. Eight more were currently hanging onto Ezel’s Exosuit. And Vex, who was wrapped in his arms.

The people that he risked his life saving and himself were all in the hands of a trustworthy person.

“I’ve done my job, Vex.”

Kr-g-g-g-g-k!

The armored car that had changed directions according to Ian’s steering started to return to where it came from. Looking at the panels, the comms were on hold but still connected.

When he pressed the call button, gunshots and curses as violent as theirs came out of the speakers.

[You idiots! Block! Block them! Turn the tanks into scraps and push the formation forward to fill the hole!]

[We don’t have enough troops to drive the tanks because of the intruder’s damage!]

[Damaged 6 enemy units! 2 completely destroyed! The remaining 18 units are passing the line!]

[Dispatch the Mini Shooters on the side! Everything will be finished once we kill them! It’s over!]

Tzzt—

“Sol Amar. I always told you, your loyalty towards the Raptor and ability to rule your subordinates with fear are remarkable, but you lack on-hand combat ability.”

[Hup!]

He could hear the man hold his breath. He had always been that way. He was always the first to crush down the weak, but when his life was in danger, he was first to tuck his tail and run away.

[H-have you returned? Ashfield?]

Skreeeeek!

Boom!

From beyond the Raptor’s tank line, he heard the Exosuits that managed to break through venting their anger on the T-7’s wide, open back.

‘There are no misfires…’

He did hang the white shirt flag that Vex made on the back of the armored car, but he had been prepared to take a few hits from the pulse rifles in the midst of the chaos. It seems that Ezel told them something through the comms.

‘Returned… you say…’

It did feel like that. Smoking the Raptor’s cigar, sitting in a Raptor’s vehicle, and talking through the Raptor’s comms, it really did feel like he was back to the old days. But…

Tzzt—

“As if. Ian Desmont died three years ago. The one that’s going to kill you today isn’t the psychopath Ian Desmont, but the Wasteland’s spice merchant, Metal Jaw! You piece of blubber!”

As Ian stepped on the axel, his cold expression returned to his usual bizarre grin.

Cr—kch!

The armored car that drove through the mini shooters and their large-caliber gatling guns crushed them alive as its engine roared fiercely.

The situation was reaching its final melee phase.