Chapter 110: Chapter 80 Part 2: Returning Kingfisher

「Another clean hit! This time it’s the head sensor!」

「This isn’t right…… It’s moving even faster? And it is doing so much damage with only that single rail gun that looks as if it was made out of scrap?…… What kind of a monster is he?」

「Look at that. King’s Gambit’s attacks aren’t catching up at all! How fast do you have to be to shake off homing missiles!?」

「Yeah, this is definitely weird. What’s up with that? Transforming while maintaining full speed? Then blasting at King’s Gambit only to transform back and retreat to safety? This isn’t balanced in the slightest……」

「Isn’t that some kind of off-meta build that’s been popular lately?」

Looking closely, you could see King’s Gambit being slowly but surely taken care off. There was something flying all around it, slashing it and blasting it so fast that you could only see the afterimages.

「………!!!」

「Uwah.」

It took them a few moments to actually understand that the occasional blue flashes they were seeing were actually the sightings of the machine that was utterly destroying the King’s Gambit. It was now clear to them that the name of that frame is the Kingfisher. It was no coincidence and it was in perfect harmony with its bluish paintjob. This Nephilim really was moving like a Kingfisher would. As soon as they realized that, Mold took a step back, probably from the intimidating aura that was seeping from the person that was standing right next to him.

In this world, everything was just a bunch of processed data, a cluster of information. But the amount of animosity Mold felt right now was pretty much the real deal.

「So, you finally dare to show yourself again, huh!? “Kingfisher”……!?」

「Kingfisher?」

「Yeah, you newbies surely wouldn’t know anything about it, but if Phoenix was at the time a number one pilot when it comes to defense, this guy was number one when it comes to offense. He was a monster that could easily go toe-to-toe with Phoenix and give her a run for her money. …… I honestly thought that he retired, since I wasn’t seeing him around all that often.」

While the other people started to explain things to the newcomers, Mold was forcefully dragged away by Rust to the waiting room where they would await their match.

「Mold, move your ass! We are going to challenge Kingfisher right now……!」

「I, I get it, I get it already! So stop pulling me, you hear!? Please, don’t pull on my clothes!」

Since he was an Operator, Mold sends a challenge invitation to Kingfisher. After a while he got a response saying that the match was over, ending with King’s Gambit’s utter defeat.

「There it is! Challenge accepted! Rust!」

「Mold, this is serious. We are going to fight like we really mean it.」

「Roger that!」

Kingfisher. This frame was constructed in such a way that it was meant to be a high risk high reward in operating. It managed to set and break many records when it comes to performance and combat, setting the bar so high that no other pilot could possibly hope to come close to beating them.

Of particular note was that frames spooky mobility, achieved at the expense of its light armor and poor armaments. Its only weapons were the close range “Overheat Rod” mounted onto the right arm and a sniping Rail Gun mounted onto its left arm. Its armor was also a bare minimum so that it could maneuver at an extremely high speed. It was a really risky build that was almost bordering on stupidity and bravado.

It was the kind of frame that completely abandoned walking in favor of flying and maneuverability, its bird-like wings making it the swiftest and fastest of all Nephilim types out there.

Sacrificing everything else in favor of speed and maneuverability…… That was the essence of what was called the “Kingfisher Build”. Even forsaking the ability to walk on the ground. It was moving so fast that it was impossible to hit it with automated fire, but at the same time it was hard for it to damage its opponent. Its fuel economy was also really bad and if by some miracle it was to miss its Rail Gun shot, the battle was as good as over. That was the essence of the Kingfisher build.

「Behind the left side…… No, from the upper right!? Ohh sh*t, it’s right from the front!?」

「Guh……!」-

Rust started to pilot the Phoenix to evade the incoming attacks form the Kingfisher that was moving at ultra-fast speed, looking for the opportunity to shoot the Phoenix down with its Rail Gun fire.

「A sudden descent! Here comes the Overheat Rod!」

「It was all expected……!!!」

After firing off a barrage of missiles and Gatling Gun fire to give them some space, Phoenix transforms into its humanoid shape in order to intercept the incoming melee strike, all the while continuing to evade.

Overheat Rod was a type of weapon that could apply some serious damage, but it had one significant weakness: it needed to charge up a huge amount of heat first in order to power up its attack. It was a weapon that was devised with thought of utilizing the heat that was accumulating from the frame doing all the crazy maneuvers in the air. Although it was a weapon like that, Rust barely managed to avoid it by using her back boosters and leg thruster.

「MOLD! What about the Kingfisher!?」

「No way……!? At this rate…… He’s going to turn back……!」

Kingfisher turned over the ground at the last possible moment. Then it used its boosters to reposition itself and transformed into its flying form and started to fly back up. It was currently approaching the Phoenix after maneuvering in such a crazy way that it should be impossible for the human body to handle the backlash from doing that.

「RUST!」

「Don’t…… UNDERESTIMATE ME!」

The Overheat momentum caused the left shoulder booster to rotate, and Kingfisher fried to attack them from down below, but his attack was intercepted with a laser blade. On the other hand, even though he didn’t manage to kill his target, Kingfisher was carried with his momentum and the clash of their weapons caused his lightly armoured frame to be blown away.

「Left shoulder booster, Overheat! Three minutes until it will cool down!」

「That guy!」

「He’s repositioning right now!」

「This is it! If we are to attack, it’s now or never……!」

Crimson Phoenix flies ahead at full speed, intending to close the distance. In the meantime, Kingfisher regained its composure and took a stance while preparing its railgun to fire. The clash of two birds was entering its climax……!