520: Battle in the Wasteland and the Declaration of Independence

Minor adjustments have been made.

Before awakening the Gigantes, I teleport to Aizengard to do a quick check. If someone had moved in without my knowing, things could get complicated.

The ruins of Aizenburg, the capital and industrial hub of Aizengard, remain untouched. I use [Search] to scan the area—no signs of human presence. No humans… but just in case—

“[Search: Demon Golem]... Nothing.”

I was wondering if the demon golem or the woman with the iron mask that Yakumo mentioned might still be around, but looks like they’re gone.

Probably fled after Yakumo escaped, worried we'd send a search party after them.

Well, that works in our favor. With no civilians nearby, we can go all out without holding back.

The plan is simple: first, I’ll summon everyone here and have them board their custom Frame Gears. Then I’ll go back to the underground city of Agartha, use a wide-range [Gate] to transfer the Gigantes to Aizengard, and finally, teleport back myself and jump into the fight in Reginleiv.

Let’s get started.

Everyone gathers and boards their machines. Ende’s here too—no surprise, probably to back up Alice.

“Whoa! This thing is way taller than the regular ones! It feels heavier too!”

Alice, riding Ortlinde Overlord for the first time, is getting tossed around. She’s trying out the arms, walking it around to get a feel for it.

Down below, Ende’s Dragoon stands at the ready, clearly worried. Chill out, old man.

“Hyaa!”

Meanwhile, Linne is piloting Gerhilde—Elze’s machine—and she’s already firing off pile bunker shots like a pro. A little rough around the edges, but not bad at all.

Her mom, Linze, watches calmly—unlike Ende. As expected from my wife.

Normally, custom Frame Gears can’t be piloted by just anyone, but if someone shares a similar magical signature—like close relatives—it’s manageable. Since Elze is Linne’s aunt (and Linze’s twin), it’s close enough.

As for Alice, her magical traits are different due to her being part-Fraze—thanks to her father, Ende—so her compatibility checks out too.

Okay. Time for me to hop back to Gandiris.

In Agartha, the underground city, the locals are gathered around a large monitor. On the screen, the Ortlinde Overlord and Gerhilde continue their movement tests.

The Iron King—the ruler of this country—watches with sharp eyes.

“So, these are the Frame Gears from the Duchy of Brunhild... Enormous machines indeed.”

“Technically, they’re not golems, but yeah—close enough. We’ll be using them to take down the Gigantes.”

“Are you certain about this? That thing was a doomsday weapon. It wiped out an entire civilization in the past.”

“It’s strong, yeah. But it’s not stronger than an Evil God. And we’ve already handled those. Worst-case scenario, I’ve got a trump card ready. Anyway, time to move it.”

By trump card, I mean using my Divine Authority Release to go full high-ranked god and vaporize the Gigantes. It’d probably leave nothing behind.

But if I did that, Gandiris, Kuhn, and the professor would all have a fit. I’d rather avoid it if possible.

Well, everyone’s in position—time to drop the beast in.

“[Gate].”

A massive [Gate] opens under the Gigantes, and the giant falls through it along with a mountain of dirt and rock. Just as it drops, a light runs along its surface. Looks like it registered the fall as an attack and is booting up from standby mode.

I close that [Gate] and open a smaller one to jump back to Aizengard.

The fallen Gigantes, buried in its own dirt and rubble, soon rises—breaking out of the mini mountain it brought with it.

It’s not quite as big as an Evil God, but it's on par with a Hecatoncheir—about the same size as a high-level Fraze.

Its form is humanoid, but unlike the sleek, modern designs of our Frame Gears, this thing looks rugged and old-school.

Its parts are all mismatched like it was thrown together from scrap. Definitely not winning any design awards.

Pipes stick out from its back, releasing bursts of magical steam.

Its limbs are huge and thick, but its head is tiny in comparison—pretty unbalanced overall.

The face looks like a classic knight’s helmet—an armet—with no features, just a single glowing eye peeking through a slit.

“Gagagagaga...”

With a metal-on-metal screech, it lifts its arms.

“Front team! Yae-san! Hilda-san! Dodge!”

“!? Understood!”

“R-Right!”

At Yumina’s sudden shout, Yae’s Schwertleite and Hilda’s Siegrune leap aside.

A split second later, the Gigantes slams both fists into the ground.

The earth shakes violently—and then surges forward in a tsunami of dirt and rock.

Like someone flipping a carpet, the land rolls forward in a deadly wave. If they hadn’t reacted to Yumina’s warning, they’d have been caught in it.

That must’ve been Yumina’s divine ability—Future Sight—kicking in.

“It’s using a skill like earth magic’s [Earth Wave]... A built-in function? Or part of its golem system?”

Leen’s voice crackles over the comms as she analyzes from her Grimgerde. Let’s leave the deep dive to Kuhn—he’ll dissect it top to bottom later.

Right now, I’ve got a job to do.

“[Reginleiv]!”

I summon my partner mech from [Storage], fly up with [Fly], and drop into the cockpit. Been a while, but it still feels right.

As I lift off, Linze's Helmwig flies up beside me in flight mode.

“Touya-san. Would you mind letting us try first?”

“Huh? I don’t mind, but… are you sure?”

This isn’t just aimed at Linze—it’s more about Alice and Linne. Fighting an unknown threat in unfamiliar machines is risky. I was planning to be their backup, but—

"I can do this without relying on Otou-san's power! Leave it to me!"

"Just like Linne said! Your Majesty, just watch from over there! You too, Otou-san!"

"Eh!? Wa—wait, Alice!?"

Ende’s panicked voice leaked out. Hmmm... well, I guess it'll be okay. Linze and the others are now divine familiars, and there are seven of them here. Not to mention they’ve got backup from the high-ranking goddess, Obaa-chan Tokie. Honestly, this might be a little too overprotective.

"Alright. But if things get dangerous, I’m stepping in, okay?"

"Un!" "Un!"

Lively voices from Linne and Alice echoed through the speakers. Ende’s flustered "Eh!? Hold on, Touya!?" was also audible—but I ignored it.

"Alright! Here we go…!"

"Wait. Charging in without a plan against an unknown enemy is the height of folly. First, we observe their movements and decide our strategy."

"Ah—uh... okayyy."

Linne had already tried to charge in with Gerhilde, but Hilda stopped her. That girl really needs to break out of the whole “attack first and think later” mindset...

As I was thinking that, the Gigantes’s shoulder armor opened up like gullwing doors. And what came into view was rows and rows of missile pods.

"Ga—"

Bashuuu! Hundreds of missiles launched at once, flying toward us in a brilliant, sparkling trail of magic essence—an all-out missile rain.

"Leave it to me! 【Stardust Shell】!"

Alice’s Ortlinde Overlord moved to the front and held out her left hand protectively.

In an instant, tiny star-shaped lights gathered together and formed a massive protective barrier.

The missiles slammed into the starry barrier and exploded repeatedly. The few that slipped past tore up the ground, scattering debris with shockwaves.

That’s some serious firepower. If something like that had gone off in the underground city of Agartha, the entire place would’ve collapsed without a doubt.

Once the barrage ended, seemingly out of ammunition, the Overlord pulled back its right arm.

"Take this! 【Cannon Knuckle】!"

The Overlord’s right arm detached at the elbow and launched toward the Gigantes—its signature rocket punch, 【Cannon Knuckle】.

"Aaaand—【Crystal Armament】!"

Mid-flight, the arm was suddenly coated in crystal, forming a vicious arrowhead-like structure.

Even though the Overlord was over 30 meters tall, it still looked small compared to the sheer size of the Gigantes.

If the Gigantes were the size of an adult human, then the Overlord would be like a baby in comparison.

But imagine getting hit with a stone the size of a baby’s fist. That’s gotta hurt, right?

The Gigantes didn’t even try to dodge. It took the rocket punch straight to the chest.

The crystal-tipped punch smashed into it hard, and it looked like it might pierce through—but it didn’t. The armor held firm.

"Eh!?"

Alice let out a surprised cry. The momentum of the punch faded, and the Overlord’s right arm dropped. But just before it hit the ground, it boomeranged back to her and docked perfectly at the elbow joint.

"It didn’t work… at all?"

"Even with the Overlord’s punch?"

Hilda and Yae looked up at the unscathed Gigantes. In terms of pure destructive power, the Overlord’s strike is one of the strongest in the entire Frame Gear lineup. The trade-off, of course, is that it's slow and its startup is easy to read.

Yet it took the punch head-on and came out completely unharmed? Even after being coated with Alice’s 【Crystal Armament】? How tough is this thing? Don’t tell me it’s made with crystal alloy?

"When the punch landed, I heard a weird sound. It was... like hitting tough rubber or something. That chest armor might not even be metal."

Sakura’s voice came through from her unit, Rossweisse. Really? I didn’t notice that... but still...

Tough rubber? Not metal? So it’s armored for shock resistance?

"Then perhaps slashing attacks will do the trick. Sakura-dono, support magic please!"

"Got it!"

At Yae’s request, the two amplifiers on Rossweisse’s back—Symphonic Horns—moved to her shoulders, opening up like cannons.

A soft melody began to fade in across the wilderness of Aisengard. This song...

Sakura began to sing. The song was composed as the theme for a movie where the protagonist rides a white dragon. It begins with a fade-in and ends with a fade-out—no clear start, no clear end. It supposedly represents the idea of "no ending," just like its title.

Under Sakura’s support magic, everyone’s machines began to power up.

"Kokonoe Manaru-ryuu Ougi—Hōyoku Hizan!"

"Restia-ryuu Kenjutsu, Isshiki—Fūjin!"

Yae's Schwertreite and Hilda's Siegrune slashed down with their blade and sword, sending shockwaves of cutting force slicing through the air toward the Gigantes.

Due to its massive size, the Gigantes couldn't dodge. The strikes landed squarely on its thigh and side.

This time, it didn't come out unscathed. The attacks cleanly sliced through part of its armor. However, compared to its bulk, it was no more than a scratch—like a scraped knee to a human.

"Muu... Seems like that didn’t really do much de gozaru.""It's big, which makes it troublesome."

The Gigantes, with part of its body cut, swung its huge fist down toward Yae and the others in what seemed like anger.

Though both dodged with ease, the impact gouged out the ground and sent a shower of rubble into the air.

Even so, Yae and Hilda batted every piece of debris out of the air with their swords. As usual, they're absurdly strong...

From the many automated defense turrets installed all over the Gigantes, beams of light like lasers rained out in all directions.

"Wah, wah!"

Linne, piloting the Göllhilde, had gotten within range and was now the target of a concentrated barrage. She skillfully maneuvered her way through the laser storm, making full use of Göllhilde’s mobility.

"Linne! Grab on!""Okaa-san!"

As the Göllhilde was weaving through the lasers, Helmwige—in flight mode and piloted by Linze—swooped in. Linne grabbed a hook that shot out from the bottom of Helmwige, and together the two machines soared out of range into the sky.

The Gigantes aimed the two cannons mounted on the side of its head at the fleeing machines.

"Not happening."

Dozens—hundreds—of crystal bullets slammed into the Gigantes's face. It was Leen's Grimgelde.

Though they didn’t destroy the head, they did manage to distract it. The massive Gigantes now turned toward Grimgelde.

It sent a telegraphed, massive punch toward the ground-based Grimgelde, but Leen had already anticipated it. Using hover movement, she narrowly avoided the strike.

Given that Grimgelde is the second heaviest unit after Overload, it has low mobility. That was a bit nerve-wracking.

Lasers shot out once more from the Gigantes's automated turrets. Ende's Dragoon and Luu's Waltraute, equipped with a B-Booster Unit, dashed through the battlefield in evasive maneuvers.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Yumina's Brunhilde took careful aim and began sniping down each turret, one by one, with deadly precision.

She never misses from that distance... still as scary-good as ever.

"Hmm? The wounds we gave it earlier are closing up de gozaru!"

Turning toward Yae’s voice, I saw the damaged areas left by Schwertreite and Siegrune regenerating.

Tch. Just like the Hecatoncheir, it’s got self-repair capabilities.

What a pain. We'll have to destroy it faster than it can regenerate—hit a weak point with concentrated fire. The armor might regenerate, but the internal systems won’t.

"Otou-san! Gimme a weapon! Something for punching and kicking!""Huh?"

Out of nowhere, a comm came in from Göllhilde, which was now surfing through the air atop Helmwige like a flying surfboard.

Didn’t she say something like, “I don’t need Otou-san’s help,” just a minute ago...? Whatever.

"Uhh... Form Change Mode: Iron Knuckle and Greave Armor!"

Two of the twelve Fragarach crystal blades mounted on the back of Reginleif detached, shifted from mid-air, and flew toward Linne’s Göllhilde.

Linze had said not to interfere, but this much should be fine, right?

Even though Göllhilde already used crystal materials in its fists, with a foe like this, I guess she needed something with even more punch.

The Fragarach transformed into battle gauntlets, locking onto both of Göllhilde’s hands and turning into vicious weapons with three spike-like protrusions.

They also reformed into leg armor that covered everything below the knee.

"Alright! Let’s gooo!"

Helmwige, with Göllhilde riding on top, climbed upward above the Gigantes.

The Gigantes, distracted by Ende’s Dragoon and Luu's Waltraute darting across the battlefield, paid no attention to the two in the sky.

This is where the difference between golems and robots really stands out. There’s something oddly human about them. You can sense hints of emotion.

Golems aren’t just machines. Some of them mess up, feel joy... they’re more human-like. Especially ancient relic units—the Legacy class—tend to be this way.

In the case of Hecatoncheir, it had that cyborg old man inside, so it made sense. But even with Gigantes, I feel like there's some kind of emotional awareness beyond just following programmed commands.

Not that it can be reasoned with—nor do we have any reason to hesitate.

From atop the Gigantes, Göllhilde leapt down with all the force of a cannonball.

"Ryuusei Kyaku────っ!"

With the weight-enhancing magic [Gravity], Göllhilde’s devastating dropkick, now absurdly heavy, slammed down directly onto the Gigantes’ head.

A dull Megya! rang out as the Gigantes’ head was driven straight down into its own torso.

Göllhilde’s total weight was what, around seven tons? And with that multiplied several times over before coming down like that, well... yeah, that’s what you’d expect. This wasn’t just some metal basin falling from the sky. It was more like a lead golf ball dropped from a high orbit onto someone’s head.

The Gigantes froze, then dropped to one knee—and collapsed face-first into the ground.

◇　◇　◇

"...Did she beat it?"

Someone watching the battle via the monitor from the underground city Agartha let out a stunned whisper.

The ending had come so abruptly, that no one knew whether to cheer or gasp. They just stood there, wearing expressions that asked, Was that it?

"As expected of my unit, and our daughter piloting it. She really pulled it off. But still…"

"Aye… looks like this isn’t the end, though."

The calm exchange between Elze and Sue, who were both staring at the monitor, drew everyone’s eyes back to the fallen Gigantes.

Bashuuuuuuuu—! Hissing like a boiling kettle, steam began to pour out of the Gigantes’ entire body.

"Aaaaah…! I told her not to break it too much if she could…!"

Only Kuhn was watching the smoking Gigantes with a look of genuine anxiety. The two older sisters, Yakumo and Frey, glanced at her with matching looks of exasperation.

On-screen, the Gigantes let out an even stronger burst of steam from its body.

Then came a dull Gagon—and the Gigantes’ right arm detached cleanly from the shoulder.

Another Gagon, and the forearm popped off at the elbow. One after another, Gagon, Gagon—several thuds came from within the cloud of rising white smoke. When it finally cleared, the gigantic body of the Gigantes was scattered in parts.

Upper and lower arms on both sides. Upper and lower legs as well. The head. The upper torso. The lower torso.

In total, eleven distinct pieces. But they hadn’t been destroyed by Göllhilde’s earlier attack.

"H-Hey, look! Over there!"

Someone cried out, pointing at the monitor.

One of the separated parts began to clatter and shift—transforming into a new humanoid Golem.

It was roughly the same size as a Frame Gear. Then, as if following its lead, all eleven parts began to morph—each turning into its own massive Golem. No, wait—only ten. The head part remained crushed and unmoving.

"Mmm… That Gigantes thing, it had the same structure as the Overlord."

"A separation and combination mechanism!? That’s so badass!!"

While Sue watched with a bitter grimace, Kuhn’s eyes sparkled with excitement at the screen. Yakumo and Frey exchanged glances and let out another sigh of disbelief.