There were three frontier villages protected by <Paraiso>.
The western one, close to the United Kingdom of Aphrasia, was Frontier Village No. 3, Edoran.
On the opposite side was Frontier Village No. 1, Raran.
And in the center between the two villages, and positioned farthest north, was Frontier Village No. 2, Clavine.
The frequency of monster appearances was highest on the eastern side.
That was because the western side was close to the great wasteland of the United Kingdom of Aphrasia, and the number of monsters inhabiting it was low.
And now, a swarm of monsters was closing in on Frontier Village No. 1, Raran, and Frontier Village No. 2, Clavine.
What had been confirmed from Raran were Shadow Players.
They were mantis-shaped monsters with body lengths of about 1 m.
And the one considered their boss, the Hidden Player.
Despite having a body length exceeding 15 m, it normally melts into the forest and stays still, camouflaging so thoroughly that even if a hunter walks right past its feet, they do not notice it, which is why it is called that.
Incidentally, at this size, humans are treated like a snack, and it does not actively come to hunt them.
However, stories of villages and cities destroyed by this giant mantis have been passed down since long ago, and it seems that if you are unlucky, you may be made into its hunting ground.
“What has been confirmed are two types: Shadow Players and Hidden Players. The total number is unknown. The Hidden Player was confirmed preying on Giant Soul Butterflies, so it will not come here immediately.”
“Understood. For the time being, the Shadow Players are the threat. The hunters will cooperate?”
“Yeah. Almost all of them headed to the gate. You lot have provided the bows and arrows, so they’re plenty motivated.”
“We will also take an immediate-response posture. ...A Alpha, B Beta, C Gamma, move to combat posture. Lift weapon restrictions, all weapons free. Act at each unit’s discretion.”
At Frontier Village No. 1, Raran, Dissecta=<Cosmos>, the command individual of unit A Alpha stationed there, issued orders to the three teams.
At the same time, they recalled the Multi-Legged Heavy Equipment team they had sent to recover Big Moths.
Because the Multi-Legged Heavy Equipment had no armament, sending it to the front was dangerous.
In addition to A Alpha-B Beta, which was already on standby, A Alpha-A Alpha, which had pulled back to the rear, slowly lifted its massive body.
Furthermore, A Alpha-C Gamma, which had been accompanying the caravan as an added force, also moved to combat posture.
The three multi-legged tanks parked at Raran shifted into an immediate-response posture.
“Target visually confirmed.”
“Yeah. The hunters should be starting their attacks soon, too.”
The targets coming toward the village—the Shadow Players—were numerous. Some dropped altitude and hid themselves in the forest, but others leapt up and flew through the sky again.
Overall, it seemed they were repeating movement while resting their wings.
Hunters standing atop branches and atop the gate drew their bows taut.
With a snapping sound, arrows were released.
“We will also fire.”
A Alpha, B Beta, and C Gamma each selected targets so that their objectives would not overlap, including with the hunters.
They selected armaments. Anti-air laser guns.
Light flickered.
Powerful laser beams heated the torsos of the Shadow Players. The body surface exposed to high temperatures began smoking and charring black, and at the same time, moisture inside their bodies rapidly vaporized, blasting apart the weakened surface.
The Shadow Players had their innards burned and fell, writhing, as they crashed down.
The arrows fired by the hunters also struck the Shadow Players one after another.
Unless they hit a nerve ganglion or the head directly, it would not be instant death, but even so, their advance could be stopped. If their innards were damaged, they could not continue flying.
Under the attacks of hunters and multi-legged tanks, Shadow Players were being shot down one after another.
“For Shadow Players to gather in this number really is abnormal.... It seems they sometimes act together with a Hidden Player, but even so, this many should not be moving.”
The defense officer said that with a bitter expression while watching the battle situation.
Saying “like clouds” would be an exaggeration, but there were certainly more than fifty.
And what was more, they could still sense signs of additional ones from behind.
“We might end up short-handed.”
The multi-legged tanks were currently attacking using anti-air laser guns.
Because they did not consume ammunition, they could fire as much as they wanted, but the instantaneous firepower was low, and the shootdown speed did not rise that much.
A laser gun is a weapon that destroys targets by scorching them at high temperature. For that reason, it must irradiate the same point on a target multiple times, or for a relatively long duration.
That was different in operation from a live-ammunition gun that simply fires shells and is done.
“The Multi-Legged Heavy Equipment team is returning. We will also assign our personnel directly to the attack role.”
The doll-machine communicators swarmed the cargo unit where equipment was installed and pulled out the largest firearms and specialized gear that individuals could use.
That equipment was an anti-materiel sniper rifle.
A large gun with the maximum range that a doll-machine communicator can operate alone.
Of course it could not beat man-portable missiles, but if you looked at it within the category of guns and cannons, it was undoubtedly among the strongest class.
The girls, wearing dedicated protectors and carrying rifles on their shoulders, climbed up onto the backs of the Multi-Legged Heavy Equipment that was still in standby.
Since it was difficult to hold and operate a gun of this size by hand, they fixed the bipod into the holder on the back of the heavy equipment and went prone.
“Individual attacks will begin.”
“This is... really something.... Extremely reassuring, but...”
Of the twenty-three doll-machine communicators dispatched, ten joined the attack.
With heavy gunshots, 15 mm warheads were fired and precisely crushed the heads of Shadow Players.
“The Shadow Players are contained. The problem is...”
“The Hidden Player is coming. There are almost no battle records left, so it’s all oral tradition, but it seems it has a magic defense barrier. Does it look like you can respond?”
“A magic defense barrier. A glowing barrier some monsters deploy that nullifies attacks.”
“That’s right. It almost completely blocks attacks without mana on them, and it has high resistance to attributes other than penetration. Your attacks do not have mana on them. If you can somehow make our hunters concentrate their attacks, perhaps...”
“Excuse me! Emergency report.”
A messenger burst into the command post where Dissecta=<Cosmos>, the defense officer, and other advisors were discussing the interception operation.
“What is it?”
“Emergency from the watchtower! Visual at extreme distance—flying wood fragments, rising dust clouds, and so on! Possibility that a Mountain Boar or a similar giant individual is approaching! That is all!”
“A... Mountain Boar?!”
*****
Frontier Village No. 2, Clavine.
A swarm of monsters was closing in on this village as well.
“This is a report from the hunters we sent to scout. They heard multiple monster screams. Most likely, a group of Mighty-Arm Apes is headed this way.”
At the defense officer’s words, Gracilis=<Cosmos> tilted their head.
“Hm... Mighty-Arm Apes?”
“Yes. A monkey monster with abnormally developed arms—well, it’s about two heads taller than us. The sheer strength of its musculature is extremely troublesome, but more than anything, the problem is its throwing attacks at range. It hides among the trees and throws rocks and branches and the like.”
“...”
The multi-legged tank’s composite sensors were observing the front line.
The heat-source sensor caught flickering scout shadows, but beyond that, there was nothing.
Were they outside the range, or could they not be captured by the heat-source sensor?
And then, suddenly, the sound of something colliding with the village gate rang out.
“Whoa!”
A hunter on watch looked down to see what it was.
A large gouge had been carved into the gate door.
“This is...”
“The Mighty-Arm Apes may have begun their throwing attacks.... Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Everyone, watch for incoming objects! Lookouts, use the arrow slits—you’ll be targeted!”
It was not as if they had been waiting for that shout, but immediately after, multiple rocks came raining down in parabolic arcs. They were about the size of a child’s head.
“—!!”
The multi-legged tank reacted.
The coaxial Gatling gun on the main cannon spun up and, with a vooo firing sound, spat out many bullets, pulverizing the rocks.
“Interception successful. But the cost is heavy. Are those just rocks?”
“...They should be. Good grief, that reaction speed...”
The barrel that had been facing forward changed aim instantly and intercepted the incoming objects overhead. Precisely because they could handle bows, they must have understood the unnatural precision of that response.
“All multi-legged tanks, move to attack posture.”
Heat-source detection was not possible, but traces were confirmed by sonar detection. The targets were estimated to have excellent heat-shielding methods.
They could not be detected by infrared or visible light, but position estimation by sound waves was possible.
“Can individuals counter the Mighty-Arm Apes?”
“Yes. Their arms seem quite hard, but aside from that, while they are tougher than normal animals, they can be pierced well enough by hunters’ bows. However, you need to aim for the gaps between both arms, so they are certainly a troublesome monster.”
“I see.”
And to [N O V E L I G H T] the front line, doll-machine communicators equipped with assault rifles were added as well.
