The man surveyed the zombies he had summoned from his magic circle. Struggling to contain something rising within him, he squatted down, but unable to endure, he stretched out his body and looked up at the sky.
"Heh, hahaha... Ahhahahahaha!! Hee! Eeeeheeeheee!! My power is beyond imagination!"
I have around a thousand zombies! With this number, I can overrun the Royal Capital!
"I've nearly depleted my mana and it took some time. But with this number, it should be enough to annihilate the Royal Capital of Liedgarm!"
Yes, because I've gathered not only humanoid zombies but also different types of zombies, such as goblins, wolves, and orcs, it's not impossible!
"I, Solde, will take the head of King Liedgarm... Hm? What's that sound?"
Though he scanned the area, it was midnight, and he couldn't find the source of the noise. However, he noticed an odd star in the sky.
"That star, it looks strange for a shooting star... Huh? It's falling..."
And then, his consciousness was blown away by a tremendous explosion.
He should have realized that danger was closing in on him... but it was too late.
〜〜〜 Elaina's Perspective 〜〜〜
Alright, first, I checked the surroundings with the FGM-148, then set the Javelin missile's flight path to top attack. After that, I unlocked the safety and targeted the marked destination with the UAV on the Javelin monitor. And... here comes the main event!
"Fire!!"
I squeezed the trigger as I said that, launching the missile towards the enemy.
The missile flew high after launch, then straight towards the target, descending rapidly as it reached overhead. And upon arrival, it exploded.
"Javelin hit!!"
Oh good. This function unique to FPS games worked perfectly. Where I mark the target with the laser sight on the UAV, it has a feature that allows me to share the information with my radar and other weapons.
"Phase one of the operation was successful!"
Operation phase one: fire a missile right in the center to confuse the enemy! Well, since the enemies are monsters, I'm not sure if they'll be confused.
After firing the FGM-148 Javelin, I adjusted my night vision goggles and mounted the GAU-19B (using 12.7x99mm rounds) on the gun seat of the Humvee 1151. I aimed at the enemy one kilometer ahead.
"Let's move on to phase two of the operation!"
Pressing both buttons, the GAU-19B unleashed a fierce barrage towards the enemy.
Wow, the kill score is incredible.
I can't really tell what's happening from here, but probably because of the 12.7mm monster cartridges, bodies are flying. It's a place where if you shoot, you hit.
"Hm? Have they noticed already..."
The horde of zombies seems to have noticed the direction of the attacks and is heading towards me.
Alright, just as planned! Don't panic, I just need to lure them in more...
While continuing to fire the GAU-19B at the zombies, I checked the radar to confirm. It seems there are differences in individual speeds, with some enemies moving faster and others slower. The fast ones have already covered about 80 meters from their original positions.
Well, that was expected, though. Except there are no flying ones.
I haven't targeted the fast ones yet, instead, I kept showering the slow ones further back with bullets, taking down the enemies one by one.
...Is it about time?
While continuing to fire the GAU-19B, I glanced at the radar linked to the UAV. The fast zombies disappeared from the radar one after another accompanied by explosions.
Right on schedule! Did they become prey to the Claymore mines!?
Yes, I had set up numerous M18A1 Claymores around 300 meters from my current position.
There were quite a few fast ones, but only about ten survived. Not bad results. Let's finish off the rest here.
With so many zombies around, I aimed the GAU-19B at the survivors of the Claymore landmines, showering them with bullets and blowing their bodies apart.
Task complete! ...Hm? The enemies further back are dispersing and becoming harder to aim at. Well then, let's move on to the next prepared item.
Continuing to fire the GAU-19B, I glanced at the radar and calculated the timing.
...Alright, now's the time! UGV launch!!
I opened the menu and pressed the activation buttons for the two concealed UGV Armadillos on the left side, immediately setting them to autopilot mode.
'Understood, beginning firing. Please be careful not to enter the firing line.'
As the computer said that, the UGVs located about 600 meters away started up. One was equipped with the FN M2HB-QCB (using 12.7x99mm rounds), and the other with the Saco Defense Mk.19 Mod3 (using 40mm grenades), both continuously firing as they moved along the predetermined path. Yes, they were circling around, maintaining a distance from the enemy's left flank as seen from my perspective. This completes the crossfire.
This is a grassland, there's no place to hide, so they have no choice but to be targets.
The zombies that were coming towards me seemed to be confused, as they stopped in their tracks and started to move in random directions.
They're perhaps debating whether to attack me or the UGVs. But watching them, something feels off.
Do zombies have intelligence?
...No, let's stop thinking about it for now. After all, all that's left is to finish them off in one go!!
Bullets hitting, zombies having parts of their bodies blown off, zombies engulfed in explosions. Me and the UGVs trampled over the zombies in various ways.
...Is it almost over?
I stopped shooting and checked the radar, only to find that the horde of zombies, which had been so numerous before, had dwindled to a countable few.
"Phew... It's good that the operation went as planned. But this..."
I stared at the hot barrel of the GAU-19B and the pile of spent casings, which had fallen below me, and had become like a mountain. It made me realize just how long I had been firing.
Normally, this much shooting would lead to not just running out of bullets but also causing abnormal wear and tear, requiring repairs. And how many enemies did I kill?
"...Oh well! Let's deal with the rest when they get closer. The mountain of casings has disappeared anyway! Oh, but wait! Before that, I need to retrieve the Claymores."
I brought up the menu and pressed the button to remove the Claymores.
'Caution! Once the Claymores are removed, they cannot be returned to their original positions. Are you sure you want to remove them? Yes/No.'
I pressed "Yes" and confirmed that they've been removed on the map, then set the Armadillos to route back to the same location. After closing the menu, I moved to the driver's seat of the Humvee 1151. Since the engine was already running, I pressed the brake, shifted the gear lever from "P" to "D," and released the handbrake.
"Oh!? I almost forgot to turn on the car lights at night."
After saying that, I turned off the night vision goggles, lifted them up, turned on the car lights, and started driving.
〜〜〜 Solde's Perspective 〜〜〜
"...Ah, aaahhhh... ughhh... Huh?"
Why... why am I lying here? I remember summoning the zombies to attack the capital, but where are my zombies!?
As Solde lay on his back, he looked around, and the brutally slaughtered zombies came into view. At that moment, as he witnessed the scene, everything came flooding back to him!
Just before this happened, a star fell from the sky and struck his body.
"Guh, gaaaahhh!!?"
And the man erupted with anger from the depths of his being like a volcanic eruption!!
Unforgivable. Unforgivable... Unforgivable! Unforgivable! Unforgivable!! Unforgivable unforgivable unforgivable UNFORGIVABLE UNFORGIVABLEEEE...!!
"I'll, ki- kill..."
I'll kill you. I'll definitely find you and kill you!! !? What was that sound just now?
When he turned his face in the direction of the unfamiliar sound, although it was dimly lit and hard to see clearly, someone was defeating the zombies summoned by the man, one after another, with mysterious monsters in tow. Seeing this, the man glared at the figure with intense anger.
"Gu... guuuhh...!!?"
It's them!! The one responsible for what happened to my zombies!! ...Wait, hold on.
"Guh, ghu...!!"
Could it be... they haven't realized I'm still alive? This could be my chance!!
"Shh, shh, shh... ugh! Cough! Cough!"
I'll tear them apart with my own hands, make them regret what they did, and then kill them!! And even after they're turned into zombies, I'll still make them suffer!!
Solde tried to stand up with that thought, but his body wouldn't move properly.
Huh? ...Why? Why won't my body move!!?
"What... the... hell!?"
He was shocked as he looked at his own hands.
Because his right arm was missing, and his left hand was shredded and now useless.
"Hiiieee!!?"
Unlike before, he was now filled with fear, the complete opposite of rage!
"Cough! Cough! Aaaahhhh!!?"
This is bad! I need to get out of here fast before I'm killed!!
Though he managed to get onto all fours from lying on his back, they didn't let him escape. The mysterious monster noticed him, turned its face towards him, and then...
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Oh, the Armadillo fired again! Man, the sound of the Mk.19 Mod3 firing is so satisfying.
"And what an exhilarating explosion... Wait, what!?"
Why was I surprised? Because the monster the UGV just took down gave points that were significantly higher compared to other monsters.
"What... did I just defeat?"
It's great that I get feedback on what I've defeated, but it only gives me points and headshot confirmations, so I can't tell exactly what kind of monster it was, which is a bit inconvenient.
"Uh, huh?"
Moreover, as I looked at the zombies I was about to shoot, they were slowly walking towards me before, but now they collapsed as if the puppet strings were cut. Looking around, I noticed that the other zombies had also stopped moving.
"The enemy marks have disappeared from the radar... Could it be because I defeated the boss controlling them?"
Thinking about it, these zombies were definitely odd. They seemed to have some intelligence, and they stopped moving after I obtained that unusually high number of points. Hmm... well, I've achieved my original goal and fulfilled the complete annihilation, so it's all good!! ...Huh?
I received a communication from God, so I answered. On the screen, God seemed to be suppressing laughter for some reason.
"What's wrong, God?"
'I-I'm sorry! It's just that I remembered something funny... S-sorry about that! Pfft!'
Well, I know God can be a bit strange, but watching him, I start to feel a bit uneasy.
'Ehem! Elaina-chan, congratulations on annihilating the zombies!'
"...Um, thanks."
'Hmmmmm!? Aren't you reacting a bit lightly even though I'm praising you!?'
"Well, I was just watching the zombies' movements, and something felt off... Huh? Oh no!"
'What's wrong?'
God tilted his head in confusion, so I explained.
"A few people are heading this way. They don't seem like enemies, but I don't want to attract attention, so I need to get out of here somehow..."
I checked the UAV's thermal imaging, and while I couldn't identify anyone specifically, there were about five people heading towards me.
'In that case, leave it to me! First, put away those two and the UAV behind you!'
"Understood."
Following God's instructions, I stowed away the two UGVs and the UAV in the hangar.
"Preparations are complete. Alright... Here we go!"
As God said that, my vision momentarily blurred, and when it cleared, I was faced with a wall in front of me, startling me.
'We're here!'
"Huh? Wait... this place..."
As I looked around and saw a familiar wall in front of me, I realized where I was.
"That's the gate over there! So, this really is the Royal Capital! Why am I here?"
'I teleported you.'
"You could have warned me before teleporting me!"
Seriously, my heart can't handle this!
'Haha, sorry about that. By the way, it's eight in the evening, so the inn should still be open. You should go back and rest for today. I'll give you your reward later.'
"Sigh... understood. As you say, I'll rest for today. Thank you for today, God."
'Yep, yep. Thank you too. Cute Elaina-chan.'
"Huh!?"
'Hahaha! Goodnight!'
With that, God unilaterally ended the communication.
"Ugh... I-I have to... go back to the inn..."
After saying that, I started walking towards the gate.
A/N: Weapon Introductions:
FGM-148 Javelin:
Its main target is armored combat vehicles, but it can also target buildings, field fortifications, and even low-flying helicopters. The missile's trajectory offers two options: a top-attack mode, which aims for the thinner armor on the upper part of armored vehicles, and a direct-attack mode for hitting buildings, etc. In top-attack mode, it flies at an altitude of 150m, while in direct-attack mode, it flies at an altitude of 50m. The missile is autonomously guided towards pre-sighted targets using an imaging infrared seeker and an onboard computer. According to the manufacturer, even operators trained immediately after the briefing have a 94% hit rate.
M18A1 Claymore:
This is a directional anti-personnel mine used by the US military, designed for anti-personnel purposes. Weighing approximately 1.6kg, it has a curved box shape containing 700 iron balls and C-4 explosive. When detonated on the ground, the iron balls spread out in a fan-shaped pattern, providing a wide range of lethal capabilities from a single unit.
FN M2HB-QCB:
The "HB-QCB" in FN M2HB-QCB stands for Heavy Barrel-Quick Change, indicating that FN Herstal modified the original Browning M2 to allow for easy barrel changes. The Browning M2, despite its modifications, is still in use, which I personally find impressive.
Saco Defense Mk.19 Mod3:
The Mk.19 Mod3 is an improved version of the Mk.19 Mod 0 currently used by the US military. The Mk.19 is a belt-fed grenade machine gun commonly mounted on gun mounts of military vehicles by the US military. Although the maximum range of the Mk.19 grenade launcher is 2.2km, its effective range is 1.6km, and its sight has markings only up to 1.5km. Shooting at less than 75m poses a risk of self-damage, so attention to range is necessary.
UAV:
While UAVs themselves may be familiar to many, the UAV used by the protagonist is an original weapon in the game. In reconnaissance mode, it can extend radar range, monitor with cameras, and has a laser targeting device, making it versatile. It can be customized into an attack type, but this disables the abilities mentioned earlier.
UGV Armadillo:
UGV, or Unmanned Ground Vehicle, refers to a vehicle rather than an aircraft like UAV. While research on UGVs is ongoing worldwide, practical application has not yet been achieved. The "Armadillo" used by the protagonist is an original weapon in the game and is being researched by the US military. Resembling the robotic weapon "MUTT," it can mount guns like the M240 or Browning M2 at the gun mount, which can be set to automatic mode to shoot enemies automatically or manual mode for owner operation. When the owner aims with the mounted gun, it becomes a moving gun mount. It's a convenient weapon! However, it incurs repair costs when damaged or broken, so those who don't earn many points tend not to use it.
TL/N: i didnt really fact-check the weapon descriptions above btw, i just kinda translated what the author said in the author notes
2024/02/16