The ＜Paraiso＞ protected settlements numbered three.
The Third Settlement, Edran, was located to the west, near the Afrasia United Kingdom.
The First Settlement, Lalan, was on the opposite side.
And located in the center of the two villages, the northernmost was the Second Settlement, Klavin.
Monsters appeared most frequently on the east side.
The west side was close to the Afrasia United Kingdom’s great wilderness, resulting in a lower monster population.
And now, monster swarms were approaching the First Settlement, Lalan, and the Second Settlement, Klavin.
Identified near Lalan was the Shadow Mantis (Shadow Player).
A monster resembling a praying mantis, about 1m in length.
And the boss of them all, the Hidden Mantis (Hidden Player).
Despite a body length exceeding 15m, it usually blends into the forest, remaining still. It is so well camouflaged that hunters can walk right past it without noticing, hence the name.
Incidentally, humans are just snacks to this size of monster, and they don’t actively hunt them.
However, stories of villages and towns destroyed by these giant mantises have been passed down since ancient times, and it seems that one can become prey if they are unlucky.
“Two types confirmed: Shadow Player and Hidden Player. Total number unknown. The Hidden Player was seen preying on a Soul Butterfly, so it won’t be coming here immediately.”
“Understood. For the time being, the Shadow Players are the threat. The hunters are willing to cooperate?”
“Yes. Almost all of them headed to the gate. You folks provide the bows and ammunition, so they’re highly motivated.”
“We’ll also take immediate action. …Alpha, Beta, and Gamma, prepare for combat. All Weapons Free. Act according to each unit’s judgment.”
Dissector=Cosmos, the command unit of Squad Alpha stationed at the First Settlement, Lalan, issued orders to three teams.
At the same time, she recalled the Multi-legged Heavy Machine team that had been sent to recover the Big Moth.
Multi-legged Heavy Machines have no weapons, so deploying them to the front lines is dangerous.
In addition to Alpha-Beta, which was already on standby, Alpha-Alpha, which had retreated to the rear, slowly raised its massive body.
Furthermore, Alpha-Gamma, which had accompanied the caravan as reinforcements, also moved into combat readiness.
The three Multi-legged Tanks stationed in Lalan shifted to immediate response status.
“Target sighted.”
“Yeah, the hunters should be starting their attack soon.”
The targets approaching the village, the Shadow Mantises (Shadow Players), were quite numerous. Some descended and hid in the forest, while others jumped up and flew again.
Overall, they seemed to be moving while resting their wings.
The hunters standing on the branches and on top of the gate drew their bows.
With a twang, the arrows were released.
“We’ll fire too.”
Alpha, Beta, and Gamma selected their targets so as not to overlap with the hunters.
Weapon selected: Anti-air laser gun.
Light flashed.
The powerful laser light heated the Shadow Player’s torso. The surface exposed to the high temperature smoked and charred, and at the same time, the moisture inside rapidly vaporized, blowing away the brittle surface.
The Shadow Player, its internal organs burned, crashed down in agony.
The arrows fired by the hunters also hit the Shadow Players one after another.
Unless they directly hit the nerve ganglion or head, they wouldn’t be instantly fatal, but they could still stop further advance. If their internal organs were damaged, they couldn’t continue flying.
The Shadow Players were shot down one after another by the attacks of the hunters and Multi-legged Tanks.
“It’s still abnormal for Shadow Players to swarm like this… They sometimes act together with Hidden Players, but even then, they shouldn’t be moving in such numbers.”
The defense officer said with a grim face as he watched the battle situation.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they were like a swarm of locusts, but there were definitely more than 50 of them.
Moreover, there was still a sense of additional enemies approaching from behind.
“We might run out of manpower.”
The Multi-legged Tanks were currently using anti-air laser guns for their attacks.
Since there was no ammunition consumption, they could fire as much as they wanted, but the instantaneous firepower was low, and the rate of fire was not that high.
Laser guns are weapons that destroy targets by scorching them with high heat. Therefore, it is necessary to irradiate the same spot on the target multiple times or for a relatively long period of time.
The method of operation is different from that of a projectile cannon that fires continuously.
“The Multi-legged Heavy Machine team is returning. Let’s have our personnel join the attack as well.”
The Doll Machines (Communicators) gathered around the cargo unit where they were stationed, taking out the largest-sized firearms and dedicated equipment that individuals could use.
The equipment was an anti-material sniper rifle.
A large gun with the maximum range that can be operated by a Doll Machine (Communicator) alone.
Of course, it’s inferior to portable missiles, but in terms of guns and cannons, it’s undoubtedly in the strongest class.
The girls, equipped with dedicated protectors and rifles on their shoulders, climbed onto the backs of the Multi-legged Heavy Machines that were on standby.
Since it was difficult to hold and operate a gun of this size by hand, they fixed the bipod to the holder on the back of the heavy machine and lay prone.
“Commencing individual attacks.”
“Well, this is something… truly reliable…”
Ten out of the 23 Doll Machines (Communicators) dispatched participated in the attack.
The 15mm rounds fired with a heavy gunshot sound accurately shattered the heads of the Shadow Players.
“The Shadow Players are held back. The problem is…”
“The Hidden Player is coming. There are hardly any combat records left, so it’s mostly word of mouth, but it seems to have a Magic Barrier. Can we deal with it?”
“Magic Barrier. Is that the glowing barrier that some monsters deploy to nullify attacks?”
“That’s right. It almost completely blocks attacks that don’t carry Magical Power, and it’s highly resistant to attributes other than Penetration. Your attacks don’t carry Magical Power. If we can somehow get our hunters to concentrate their attacks, maybe…”
“Excuse me! Emergency report!”
A liaison officer rushed into the command post where Dissector=Cosmos, the defense officer, and other advisors were discussing the interception strategy.
“What is it?”
“Emergency from the watchtower! Visual confirmation at the farthest point, fragments of trees blowing up, dust clouds, etc.! Possibility of a Mountain Boar or similar giant individual approaching! That is all!”
“M…Mountain Boar!?”
◇◇◇◇
Second Settlement, Klavin.
A swarm of monsters was approaching this village as well.
“Report from the hunters who went out for reconnaissance. They heard multiple monster cries. It seems a swarm of Musso Arms is heading this way.”
Gracilis=Cosmos tilted her head at the defense officer’s words.
“Hmm… Musso Arms?”
“Yes. A monkey monster with abnormally developed arms, yes, two heads taller than us. The strength of its muscles is very troublesome, but above all, the problem is the ranged attacks by throwing. They hide in the trees and throw rocks and branches.”
“…”
The Multi-legged Tank’s composite sensor was observing the situation at the front.
The heat source sensor captured the shadows of scouts flickering, but nothing else.
Were they out of range, or were they not captured by the heat source sensor?
Then, suddenly, the sound of something colliding with the village gate echoed.
“Whoa!”
The watchman hunter looked down, wondering what had happened.
There was a large scratch on the gate.
“This is…”
“The Musso Arms’ throwing attacks may have begun. …Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Everyone, watch out for flying objects! The watchmen should use the arrow slits, you’ll be targeted!”
As if waiting for that shout, multiple rocks immediately rained down in parabolas. The size was about the size of a child’s head.
“――!!”
The Multi-legged Tank reacted.
The Gatling gun coaxial with the main cannon rotated, and with a firing sound of “Voo,” it spat out numerous bullets, shattering the rocks.
“Interception successful. But the cost is heavy. Was that just a rock?”
“…It should be. Well, that’s an amazing reaction…”
The cannons, which had been facing forward, instantly adjusted their aim to intercept the airborne object. Perhaps it was because she could handle a bow that she understood the abnormal precision of the response.
“All Multi-legged Tanks, into attack formation.”
Unable to detect heat sources, but confirming some traces with sound wave detection. It is estimated that the target has excellent heat shielding measures.
Detection via infrared and visible light is not possible, but position estimation via sound waves is possible.
“Are the Musso Arms something individuals can fight against?”
“Yes. Their arms seem quite hard, but otherwise, while tougher than a normal animal, they can be pierced sufficiently with a hunter’s bow. However, you need to aim for the gaps in their arms, so they are certainly troublesome Monsters.”
“I see.”
Then, Doll Machines (Communicators) equipped with assault rifles were added to the front line.