When we went past the enemy barricade, we arrived at a corridor that was dyed crimson.

“Ugh… This is…”

“They were cut by an extremely sharp weapon.”

There were several human remains that were cut up to horrifying degrees scattered all throughout the white corridor that was now dyed red with blood. I almost ended up hurling in disgust, but the power armor’s anti-nausea function prevented that from happening. Even so, I still felt sick to my stomach.

I went through the corridor while making sure not to step on the remains and raced on.

“So that’s the result of being cut up by a noble’s sword huh…… That’s something I’d like to avoid at all costs.”

“Please do not worry, Master. As long as I am present, nothing of the sort will happen to you.”

May declared in a reliable tone. But I also don’t want to see May end up being cut to pieces like that…… I’ll try my best and finish that bastard off as fast as I can.

“By the way Master, there were traces of laser shots hitting several spots on the walls of the corridor we just passed earlier at strange trajectories. It is highly likely that our enemy did indeed undergo cybernetic enhancements and implants to increase reaction speed.”

“How troublesome…… Well, I doubt he’ll be able to deflect all twenty-four laser shots from the splitter guns though.”

If it was just single shots from a laser rifle, then it would be for the guy to anticipate the trajectory by watching the gun barrel’s movements and such, but I bet he won’t be able to deal with simultaneous splitter laser gunshots which scattered the beam via a polarization lens. Even if he was dual wielding, he won’t be able to block all the shots from two splitter laser guns firing at the same time. And since the shots would cover a wide area, completely avoiding them was out of the question as well.

Yeah, we’re good. I’m gonna show that sword-wielding Neanderthal the power of scientific civilization. Muahahaha.

“Sounds of fighting are echoing up ahead, Master.”

“Alright, I’m gonna… No, it’s better for you to take point, May. You can run way faster than me, right?”

“That’s…… Understood.”

May nodded and rushed through the corridor at an astonishing speed incomparable to before. Is it just me, or is the floor actually getting dented from her steps? Just how fast can she run? I did make May’s specs top-of-the-line, but seeing her in action like this is something else, man. And she’s also installed with comprehensive combat programs on top of her crazy specs. Isn’t she way more powerful than me even with my power armor on?

I ran after her as fast as I could, and before long, my power armor’s audio sensors picked up laser launcher firing sounds. It looks like May has already engaged the enemy.

I then saw a burnt trail that was most likely caused by laser launcher fire coming out of the open doors just ahead of me. Judging from the earlier sounds, she must have fired several shots already, but she still hasn’t managed to finish him off?

I refrained from charging inside directly and opted to confirm the situation inside the room first. I saw Earl Daleinwald, who had his sword raised at the ready, surrounded by his subordinates. Chris was also with them. Earl Daleinwald’s body was riddled with many serious-looking cuts. He was in a terrible state. But fortunately, there doesn’t seem to be anyone inside the room who has been cut down and killed yet.

A little further from the earl and his retinue, May was in a fierce battle with someone.

“You damned sex doll!”

“That statement is technically correct. However, I would still recommend you retract it due to it having discriminatory connotations and is unbecoming of someone of your station.”

May faced a furious-looking guy sporting two swords with calm composure as she repeatedly fired her laser launcher. She fired high-powered laser shots in diffusion mode at the man. They should have already pierced straight through him… but they didn’t. Instead, the man used his swords to deflect the shots heading for his vitals and dodged the rest. Eh…?

The man fighting May sported a long sword on his right hand and a short sword on his left. He used them with uncanny precision in order to weather through May’s laser launcher fire. Oh c’mon! Is he really a Je*i knight or something? Seriously?

『May, give him another barrage. We’ll get him with a crossfire!』

『Acknowledged.』

After hearing May’s reply, I jumped to a suitable spot inside the hall and– What the–!?

“Nuooo!?”

“Kuh!”

For some reason, the man seemed to have predicted my move and instantly closed the distance to the spot I jumped toward. I instinctively tried to smash him with the laser gun held on the power armor’s left hand, but the damn guy deflected the blow with his sword and used the momentum to take some distance. And to add insult to injury, he even cut the laser gun on the power armor’s right hand clean in two in the middle of jumping away.

“You!? How dare you cut up my precious splitter guns, you bastard!”

“Nuooooh!?”

I threw the remains of the severed laser gun at him and aimed the remaining one, as well as the shoulder-equipped fixed laser turrets on the RIKISHI MK. III at the dual-wielding bastard. I immediately unleashed a barrage.

“Youuuu! How dare you aim such barbaric weaponry at someone of noble standing such as myself!”

“Like I care, dammit! Die! I’ll burn you to a crisp!”

If I shoot scatter shots from too long a distance, the accuracy and effectiveness will be decreased, so I mostly kept to medium range as I pelted the guy with merciless laser fire. Tsk. This bastard actually had a portable energy shield emitter on him, huh? He managed to block my laser barrage in the end.

Doesn’t matter. Even if he has an energy shield, it would eventually go down from the concentrated fire. If one shot doesn’t do it, then I’ll hit him with two, three, four, ten, twenty… as many laser shots as I have to.

“What the heck are you gawking about for, you fools!? Fire your weapons as well!”

The maids and butler were shaken from their shocked stupor by Earl Daleinwald’s shout and started firing their laser rifles and guns as well. May switched her laser launcher to convergence mode and started hammering the dual-wielding bastard’s shield with shots as well. Just one well-placed shot should be able to saturate that bastard’s shield. That’s good. Give it to em!

“Damn it to hell!”

The dual-wielding bastard suddenly set off an explosion. No, it’s a smokescreen huh? The guy’s form vanished within the white smoke as it quickly dispersed all around the hall. I see. In addition to blocking our vision, the smoke also serves to dampen our laser shots. That’s a nice move, son.

But it’s useless.

“Soooi!”

“Guwaaaaah!?”

I threw the remaining splitter gun at the dual-wielding bastard, who was in the middle of sprinting toward Earl Daleinwald, and got a direct hit.

Sure, anti-laser weapon smokescreens are quite effective at their role in normal cases, but they are next to useless when facing someone equipped with a power armor. That’s because power armor sport several other high-precision sensors apart from optical ones, such as infrared and the like. A smokescreen of this degree poses no trouble at all.

I deployed my energy shield and rapidly closed the distance with the dual-wielding bastard.

“You son of–!”

The guy noticed my approach and tried to cut me down with his swords, but they were blocked by the power armor’s energy shield.

Those swords may have impressive cutting power, but they can’t penetrate an energy-based shield, just as I expected.

Without the tremendous heat produced by laser shots or the powerful kinetic impacts produced by explosions or high-caliber ballistic shot-cannon rounds, there’s no breaking through a military-grade energy shield.

So even with those exceedingly sharp swords and his cybernetic implants providing a boost in speed and power, there’s no chance in hell he’d be able to cut through my energy shield. Uh, but there was still a chance he actually could. Fortunately, my hunch proved true. Phew.

Energy shield tech was originally meant to block space debris, so I was pretty confident.

“Goshaaaaaaa!?”

I placed the full weight of my power armor on a full-body tackle and blew the enemy away as if he was hit by a speeding truck. The right hand of the dual-wielding bastard bent in an awkward direction, and the long sword it held was flicked away.

“May, secure him!”

“Yes.”

The laser launcher-wielding May rushed in like a gale and smashed the dual-wielding bastard to the floor. She then crushed his legs with merciless efficiency.

Those are the most painful sounding cracks I’ve heard to date. Someone in the room wolf-whistled in astonishment. I couldn’t place who it was though. Still though, ouch.

The smoke gradually cleared, and I finally got a clear view of the dual-wielding bastard, who now sprawled pathetically on the floor as the laser launcher-toting May gallantly stepped on his back. Hey, Earl Daienwald. Wouldn’t it be better if you replaced the maid and butler-sans under your employ with a high-spec combat maidroid like May? Well, maybe there’s a reason why he didn’t employ maidroids in the first place. Not my problem anyway.

“So, is it okay for me to kill this guy now?”

I asked Earl Daleinwald, who was looking in my direction, with a stern expression on my face. This guy was most likely Balthazar anyway. C’mon, man. Give me the green light already.