“MYAAAAAAK! KYAAAAAAAK!”

“Keut…! You cat!”

“Good job, good job! Our Nabi is doing so well!”

Sharp claws flashed. Historia faced off against Nabi's fierce attack with her weapon, the Gunblade.

Screeeeech, claws and blades collided. Naturally, the claws held the upper hand. The teeth of the Gunblade were damaged, and scratches were marked on the barrel. It was made of the Level 4 alchemic steel that the Military State was so proud of, but it was a poor match against its opponent.

After all, Nabi was a Beast King. And even among them, she was the particularly powerful and renowned King of Cats.

Pure physical strength couldn't beat a Beast King. And not even the Daughter of the Military State was an exception to that. Just as it seemed she could hold on, Historia's arm trembled and was pushed back.

｢What’s your scheme, Huey? If you let a Beast King run wild, you’ll be in danger too. Are you perhaps relying on that armor?｣

However, Nabi surprisingly did not pay me any attention. With the threateningly sparkling Gunblade posing a threat to her, there was no reason for Nabi to turn her gaze towards me.

Whenever Nabi had a moment of leisure and turned her head, I would stop in my tracks and pretend to be a statue. After eyeing me suspiciously for a moment, Nabi turned her head back and once again gave her all against Historia.

｢Beasts are sensitive to stimulation. If I make a loud noise or injure her, I’m sure she’ll back off.｣

The Gunblade slid on Nabi's paw, causing a scratch. The forepaw protected by fur was a weapon and shield in itself. As such, the wound was shallow.

Historia doubled-down on her loss and pushed harder, stabbing further. At the same time, she concentrated her Qi and fired the gun that was burrowed inside.

Explosive Discharge Domain, Air Wave.

The compressed air inside the muzzle, used as a bullet itself, ruffled Nabi's fur harshly and tore her skin. Startled by the explosion, Nabi bristled up the fur of her entire body.

Yet, she didn't back off. Instead, she attacked Historia with even more hostility.

And so, a fierce force knocked Historia away, her entire body creaking like a doll.

Even though she was flung away, Historia stood up with amazing balance.

｢She’s not backing off…. How strange. Nothing is going according to plan. Huey, is this also your doing?｣

Nope. The Human Regime made her that way. That's why you guys should have rooted them all out from the very start, you know?

｢Haa. It’s dangerous. Because of the wound I got earlier, as well as how I’ve been shooting the gun all day since morning…. I’m at my limit.｣

Her trembling body was unstable. Historia barely managed to gather her strength against the cat who rushed at her. Nabi did not hesitate to use her forepaws as she continued to press Historia with her claws.

In the storm of fur and claws, Historia's form wavered. Even if she aimed at gaps with kicks, fired surprise bullets, or confused the enemy with chains and blades…

Nabi either dodged with beastly instincts or withstood the assault and attacked in return.

Historia was a technician; a combat expert who performed all sorts of tricks with innate sense. However, she was at a disadvantage when it came to this opponent.

A Beast King, who overpowered with strength while evading killing intent or threats with beastly senses. Perhaps a little more time would change things, but for now, the Beast King could not be beaten. It was all the more so since the Cat, unlike the Dog… didn’t hesitate to attack.

｢I’m going to die at this rate.｣

The word ‘death’ fleetingly crossed Historia's mind. Immediately after, her first thoughts were ones of resenting me.

｢I see. So you are seriously trying to kill me. Huey.｣

Along with a bitter emotion, this time the gun barrel pointed at me.

Eh? Why suddenly me? Don't tell me… Are you thinking of making me your travel buddy to the afterlife?

｢If it’s this much… Just endure it. It’s my last tantrum.｣

There was no way she could afford to attack me while fighting Nabi. This was, quite literally, a strike with her life on the line, close to a mutual destruction.

I hurriedly twisted my body, but Historia's gun barrel sharply followed me. My thigh appeared in the sights.

Bang.

The bullet flew straight at me. But just before the bullet was fired, a shadow blurred, blocking the way in front of me. It was Azzy, with a cloth in her mouth.

“Woof!”

Azzy, who had declared to protect me, swung her head and knocked the bullet away. It was a fight between humans and not an attack that would take my life, so it wasn't necessary to block. But regardless, Azzy protected me of her own will.

And so, in that last moment, Historia was unable to achieve her goal because of the King of Dogs. Seeing this, she let out a short lamentation.

“...Ah.”

Then, Nabi pounced on her.

Historia was practically rolling on the ground now. She couldn't even regain her posture. Her hair and clothes were a mess, her consciousness fading.

To finish her off, Nabi walked towards her with the proud gait of a victor. Judging from her face, she seemed refreshed by the victory. Her sharply extended claws glinted menacingly.

｢Is this…the end?｣

Just when both Nabi and Historia sensed the end…

Azzy moved.

“Woof woof.”

“MYAAHAK!” Meow, meow?”

In an instant, Azzy stepped in front of Historia to stop Nabi. The cat meowed irritably, but when Azzy bared its teeth and growled, Nabi backed off, seemingly afraid.

Nabi cried out as if to protest.

“MYAA! MYAA MEOWW!”

“Woof, woof. Grrrr.”

“MYA…! MEOW!”

I might not understand what they were saying, but wasn’t I normal for not being able to? I took a strictly observational stance, watching the conversation between the dog and the cat.

“MYAAAAAAAA! Every single thing is stress! This doggy…!”

In the end, Nabi gave up on finishing off Historia. But then, she narrowed her vertical pupils and quickly turned her head towards me. Her indiscriminate aggression was now directed at me.

I may not be able to read the mind of a beast, but I at least knew when to be afraid of one.

Nabi, that punk, is about to attack me!

Nabi crouched as if reading herself to pounce on me. And just as she stretched her body like a spring to leap forward…

Out of nowhere, Azzy bit Nabi's ankle and pulled. The cat, caught mid-leap, crashed headfirst into the ground. With that, the disheveled Nabi cried out irritably.

“MYAHAK! AGAIN! Interfering again!”

“Woof. Nom nom.”

“MYAAAAA! MEOWWWWW! DON’T BITE MEOW!”

Such was the powerful bite force, stronger than any bear trap. Nabi, caught in it, threw a tantrum out of frustration but also whimpered pitifully, as if scared and hurt.

Alright. Nabi, you've served your purpose. Time for your reward.

I took out a mana herb I had saved as backup and lit it. As soon as the familiar scent spread, Nabi's face brightened noticeably.

“You’re tired, right? Here, take this and be good again.”

“Mya? Mya!”

Even though her ankle was still bitten, Nabi stretched her body in an effort to snatch the mana herb. When I signaled Azzy, she slowly released Nabi's ankle. While utterly indifferent to whether she was still bitten or not, Nabi eagerly followed the mana herb. I held the herb in my hand, enticingly swaying it, and led her towards a box. And so, when I threw the fiery herb into the box, Nabi also slid inside.

Smoke rose from inside the box. Nabi, seemingly uncomfortable, tapped the sides of the box with her paws. I nodded and quickly closed the lid.

Only then did silence return. The smoking cat had returned to the box and the world found its peace once again.

Utterly exhausted, Historia looked at the box despondently.

“...Heugh. Right. I forgot. A Beast King would… never fully take anyone’s side… after all.”

She wasn’t wrong. A Beast King was a being manifested from notion and concept.

I wasn’t even a beastkin, so there was no way the agitated Nabi would just ignore me. It was just that I was momentarily off her attack list since I stood still like a steel mannequin.

Similarly, for reasons unknown, although Azzy showed a particularly cooperative attitude towards me, she was still the King of Dogs. Obviously, a mere cat wouldn't be allowed to kill a human. If Historia had given up all resistance, Azzy would have protected her.

The Military State must have known this. That must be why they didn't fully engage a Beast King with all their might. Maybe they would if the opponent was a beast who exuded an overpowering scent of blood like the Progenitor. But that wasn’t the case. These two were not ones to take sides and fight against the Military State.

However there were always better ways to use them, just like I did.

You see? This is all because you’re so unnecessarily strong. Just be weak like me. If you had given up resistance from the start and left it to Azzy, you wouldn't be drained of all your strength right now.

Anyway, Historia was battered after her continued battle with Nabi. Meanwhile, I, who was still in prime condition, clanked around in my armor and spoke boldly.

“Give up. Right now, because of you, they are overexerting themselves over there.”

Amidst the standoff between the Regressor, Prelvior, Tyr, and the Sunderspear, the Gunner Corps and general officers were desperately trying to cross the battlefield to come here.

Though Tyr and the Regressor had the advantage in matchups, if even one of them slipped through, I would have to face a general officer angered by the crisis befalling the Military State’s Little Girl one-on-one. It was quite a pity to say this, but without any preparation, buying time would be impossible.

Let's just make her give up now.

“...Heugh. You practically killed me already. But now, you’re telling me to give up?”

“Let’s be honest here. You can escape at any time, right? All you need to do is jump off the belt.”

That must have been clearly stated in the Military State’s strategy manual. If they couldn’t stop us on the Meta Conveyor Belt no matter how hard they tried, they should throw themselves off the belt. After all, that would make it difficult for us, who had smaller numbers, to pursue.

If we chased after them, the distance to the main force would rapidly close, thus consuming valuable time we could have used to run away. And of course, that would be much more advantageous for them.

“If you, battered as you are, jump off, then the Gunner Corps and the general officers might also retreat. You’d be safe and so would we. Wouldn’t that be a win-win?”

“...No, not at all.”

However, Historia, who had rejected my proposal, stood before me with great difficulty. It made sense; her body had been pushed to her very limits. She then pointed at me with those exhausted, trembling arms.

“Do you know how hard I searched for a clue? How long I searched for you? But… you want me to just let it go? Just let you escape? If I let this opportunity pass, the military authorities might give up the chase altogether. I can’t let that happen.”

So stubborn.

But this was more or less the outcome I expected. So, of course, I had a proposal ready for such a time.

And for me personally, it was much better if she accepted this proposal instead.

“Then, there’s another way, Ria. How about it? Wanna hear it?”

“...I have never seen you make a proper proposal, though.”

“So you don’t want to hear it?”

“Don’t beat around the bush and just tell me.”

｢I have been deceived even while being aware of it and you have noticed that I was aware, but still deceived me anyway. It is not as if something like this is anything new, after all.｣

I knew she would listen. Like a salesman recommending a good product, I offered my proposal to Historia in a very good-natured tone.