NoveLight ™
"Entities that dismantle everything and use the materials to rebuild their strength have appeared in many forms of media. In most cases, whether you shoot them in the head or turn them into ragged scraps with a minigun, it’s all just a temporary fix."
"So, you brought antimatter with you?"
"I didn’t think they’d actually send it, but now that we’ve got it, we might as well make good use of it. Don’t you think? Besides, if something were to happen and the bridgehead explodes for some reason... well, it wouldn’t exactly be a pleasant situation, would it?"
A forest, about 13 kilometers southeast of the Brooklyn bridgehead.
The sound of rustling leaves was suppressed by the Icarus Gear, and the only trace left behind was an indiscernible footprint that no human could see, no matter how closely they looked. Thanks to optical interference, it was impossible to spot us using night vision or thermal imaging. The five users were moving toward a destination, constantly on the move.
Instead of speaking aloud, I was sending thoughts to the others, which were transmitted as text through the voice program in our comms. Speaking aloud would often disturb the surrounding air flow and temperature, so this was the preferred method.
Harmony, Dice, and Kato were listening carefully and responding, as I had already taught them this method. Olivia, well, she was the one who taught me how to do this.
Around us, Artemis drones were constantly flying by.
Given the many sensors scattered around, we were essentially trapped in a corner, but fortunately, the Icarus Gear provided clear information on how to evade detection and pass by these sensors without being noticed.
Maybe you could call it a cheat code. Of course, I didn’t have any intention of arguing that point. The Icarus Gear was developed for exactly that purpose: to infiltrate areas where Icarus Operators were either physically or immaterially protected and carry out sabotage.
And even if it had these functions, if the user couldn’t properly utilize them, it was all useless.
Olivia, who was scanning the area, added, "Let’s see, where could the HVT be...?"
"...It’s really dark since we’re on flat ground. We brought the SUAV, but if we throw that thing, we’ll be in trouble, right?"
"Exactly. If the enemy were human, it might be different, but those guys have sensors everywhere, monitoring anything that moves... However, there are a few small tricks that come in handy during times like this. There are ways to gather data even without drones."
"...Wait, is this something we shouldn’t be hearing?"
"Heh, you’re quick to catch on. Let’s just say, there’s something like that, but don’t worry about it for now."
The screen share between Olivia and me began.
Holograms appeared on the contact lenses embedded in our eyes, displaying enemy distribution and network flow.
I set up a few filters, a few basic assumptions. First, the EMP generated by the railgun’s interception of the antimatter canister from earlier had spread around us, causing more damage to Artemis than to us.
The important point here was that the enemy was likely already preparing for this attack. Usually, protecting critical electronic systems from EMP interference is a priority.
Secondly, there were very few buildings in the area. The reason for that was simple: Artemis had torn them all down for materials. Even in this area, there was no exception. In fact, they were probably dismantling even more actively right now to make up for the losses caused by the EMP.
Combining these two pieces of information led me to a conclusion.
'Even though the EMP went off... or rather, because the EMP went off, the area that’s moving more frantically is probably being used as an important network hub and forward base.'
If I saw any buildings that seemed out of place...
Well, I also figured that once Olivia joined us, we wouldn’t have trouble finding the enemy. The pre-planned movement routes were just simple guidelines; the real task was tracking the enemy in real-time.
With someone who could see for tens of kilometers even in this thick darkness, there was no way we’d have trouble tracking the enemy.
After spending about 10 minutes roaming the pre-designated points, I finally spoke up.
"...Bingo."
"We found it."
There were no lights, but hundreds of something were moving through a village, occupying it like bugs crawling in the dark.
In the center of the village, a building that looked like six stacked containers three stories high was slowly moving. Network traffic spiked dramatically near that point, as confirmed by a chaotic graph on our UI.
After taking a deep breath, I added, "Honestly, we don’t really need to charge in guns blazing at that location. Normally, we’d just destroy that thing from a distance with artillery or airstrikes... The most efficient way is the only way."
"Do you mean attaching an antimatter canister to the SUAV and sending it out? Is that what you’re suggesting?"
"Exactly. You all are pretty sharp."
That was a reasonable point.
Because of that, we couldn’t afford to waste a single opportunity. While Olivia identified the target, and Harmony, Dice, and Kato kept watch, I checked the map on the UI and marked a new set of coordinates, erasing the previous enemy locations I had predicted before the operation began.
What I needed was to check what would happen when we hit the area.
I immediately sent the coordinates and added, "Launch a cruise missile to those coordinates... Make sure it flies low enough to avoid interception by the railgun."
"Got it. What’s the warhead?"
"Anything that can release a swarm of drones will do."
"The missile will reach the target in about 1 minute and 30 seconds, Akita. If you’re nearby, be careful."
An eternity passed in that 1 minute, and the response began.
With a shriek, dozens of surface-to-air missiles flew in from the right, lasers slicing through the air. It was absolute chaos.
The sound of small explosions and the boom of sonic blasts followed, and at that moment, hundreds of small drones from the warhead spread in all directions. Of course, Artemis was thrown into disarray, and chaos erupted on the ground.
"...What the..."
"Anti-aircraft guns, missiles, lasers. It’s a mess. I think I saw missiles for electromagnetic pulse defense too..."
Boom!
The air was filled with an earth-shaking sound, lasers, and missiles flying from all directions.
It was a clear example of what happens when you send missiles or planes into a territory without disabling the air defense grid, but even amidst this, I was still tinkering with the SUAV, attaching the antimatter canister underneath.
I stripped the batteries to their bare minimum to maintain the internal magnetic field. The canister weighed only around 600 grams now, and Olivia, checking the SUAV's specifications, added, "It won’t exactly fit the original purpose of flying, but it should be fine for low-altitude flight. Let’s give it a shot."
"We’re going."
With a flick of my wrist, the SUAV launched, rising momentarily before gliding down due to its own weight. The target was about 2.4 km away, and the speed of the craft was about 100 km/h.
There was a slight crosswind, but it wasn’t difficult to control. Harmony, connected to the tablet’s holographic joystick, struggled to align the drone with the flight route marked by the delta symbol.
"1 minute and 30 seconds left. The average altitude is 13 meters, why are there so many trees...!"
"SUAV-derived drones... remaining 23. They're dropping quickly."
"Drone control, all units, ascend."
"Understood, master. All remaining drones are ascending."
Wham!
With a horrific noise, flames burst from the darkness, and the remaining distance was around 800 meters.
As I advanced, the wind resistance increased, making the craft speed up, but along the way, I passed over roads where people and vehicles were moving, including UGVs and dogs with miniguns, who also started firing.
Bullets flew, grenades exploded nearby, but the SUAV barely held on.
Harmony, who had been focusing intensely, added through gritted teeth.
"15 seconds to impact!"
"Slow down near the end. The canister needs to break."
"We’re entering range."
"Everyone, close your eyes and hit the ground!"
How long had it been?
—WHAM!
Two bullets hit the canister under the SUAV, puncturing it, and within seconds, the air rapidly rushed into the near-vacuum state inside the canister.
The antimatter inside, existing in micrograms, instantly transformed into nearly 100% efficient energy, creating a blinding flash of light from the center.
Seven seconds later, the sonic boom hit, knocking our team back.
I looked at the ashes of the area across from us, then sat down, muttering, "Not bad. I’m not sure if this method will work again though."
"...You’ve really robbed someone badly. What will we do if others try this?"
"Well, we’ll worry about that later."
Even kilometers away, the ground was still glowing red.
That was one hell of a blow to Artemis’s drones.
But just as I thought that—
—BAM!
Everything went white, and everything melted away.
"Point A-12 enemy identification and extraction complete. Returning to defense mode. Ion cannon output at 40%. Expected error value and firing error value match... within acceptable range."
"Understood."
Meanwhile, hundreds of kilometers away, at the Savannah control tower, a pair of violet eyes stared intently at the blurry horizon.
"...What just happened?"
"It’s alive again, master!"
"Of course. It's not the first time."
Mission complete messages flooded in, and applause erupted from all around.
But we only gave brief responses as we headed for the debriefing room. We had to confirm what had just happened as quickly as possible. Soon, the five of us were gathered without much issue, and we continued discussing the events as we moved.
When we arrived at the room we had been in only hours ago, Mecha Eugene displayed a GIF showing exactly what had transpired just moments earlier.
The situation was simple: something from the east, from Savannah, had come and completely vaporized our position. In an instant, we were respawned back to our checkpoint, scattered or vaporized.
Shaking my head, I added, "...A railgun?"
"That wouldn't work, though."
"You're right. Damn it."
What I had to check now was the damage report.
After hastily searching, I found the details on how I had died so quickly. It contained more information than I expected. Specifically, how the damage occurred and how I was vaporized.
The result was... surprisingly unusual.
It seemed like we had been hit by intense heat or maybe vaporization. The particle’s kinetic energy had vibrated and heated the surroundings, causing us to vaporize along with the ground beneath us.
Additionally, the shape of the impact zone that came to mind was odd.
"It’s clean. If it was a railgun, the area would’ve been shredded, like a meteor impact, right? The impact direction would’ve left scars."
"To make that happen... wouldn't it have to be a plasma cannon?"
"Ah."
Harmony’s comment triggered the realization. It was probably a hydrogen ion cannon — truly devastating damage.
If that was the case, it made sense. We were deep inside enemy territory, very close to Savannah. Ion cannons have a short range due to issues like atmospheric scattering and maintaining a straight trajectory, so getting too close makes it possible for them to hit us.
The image of the sky at that time came to mind. A blue line crossed the air, as the surrounding air turned into plasma.
While Olivia and I exhaled quietly, Jin and Rain quickly began explaining.
"It’s not certain, but I think the enemy is using something like a laser cannon to prevent access from Savannah."
"...Laser cannon? Seriously."
"They wouldn’t be rapid-firing it, right?"
"I'm not sure, but we might need to check the power grid layout in Savannah. If it's really bad, there was an order to push through while using EMPs, so don't worry about it too much. Anyway, good work."
The first success of the incursion.
With a cheerful sound, countless missions were broken into fragments of light, which then turned into numbers that only the users could see.
Among the millions of users in the incursion, the party of five ranked first. Naturally, since this party was mine, my name topped the list.
But the title next to it... "The first to be hit by the defense laser"...
"...Who the hell got hit like that?"
"Seriously."
"Alright, everyone, check for any issues. If we’re low on ammo or weapons, refill. You’ve got about 10 minutes. After the debriefing, we’ll head back to the front line."
"Okay."
"Let’s disband for 10 minutes."
With that, everyone in the room headed out.
Kato, Harmony, and Dice went to the crowded armory, while Olivia and I left the briefing room to head to the lobby.
As Jin and Rain sat down in chairs, Olivia and I snapped our fingers —
—SWOOSH!
"Who told you to walk around with that monstrosity attached to your tail, seriously."
"Ah, ow! What the heck! I didn’t do anything today!"
"But it seems the other world’s Mav doesn’t think that way."
"Ughhh-!"
Liquid metal cheeks.
Controlled by electromagnetic forces, Mav’s cheeks, which were very similar in feel, hardness, and elasticity to a human's, stretched out as Olivia and I pinched them.
Jin and Rain laughed hysterically, watching the scene unfold.
"Of course, this is an Omega-type produced with Alpha. You sure know how to make things interesting."
"...It looks like Akita is going to keep torturing Mav whenever things go wrong in the other world."
"Sadly, you're only half-right. Olivia’s coming along next time."
"Nooo-!"
Of course, canceling what I just said was not an option.
As the indignant Mav shouted, the night passed.
The incursion was still in full swing.