Nightmare
A nightmare had appeared for the Berkley family.

“You can’t beat me with cheap knock-offs of Avid you fake bastards~!!!”

The black aircraft decorated with gold had large shields mounted on both of its shoulders.

The unusually large aircraft grabbed one of the Berkley family’s special mobile knights in its hand, using it as a shield as it charged towards a battleship– breaking straight through it.

The allied machine was destroyed.

But Avid was unscathed.

With the battleship exploding right behind it, Avid threw away what remained of the large aircraft like the garbage it now was.

Dolph’s eyebrows furrowed at the sight.

“So that’s the rumoured Avid?”

The new aircrafts from the First Weapons Factory didn’t stand a chance against it.

And on top of that, Liam was piloting it– a person considered an ace even among the best of knights.

He was one of the few people who could actually bring out Avid’s performance to its limits.

Dolph proceed to give out orders as the ship shook.

“Surround him and shoot him down!”

“I-it’s no good. Our allied aircrafts… aren’t able to keep up with it.”

Another video appeared in front of Dolph, showcasing a mobile knight wielding a large hatchet-like weapon in both its hands as it decimated his allies.

It moved violently, while a beastly battle cry could be heard in the background.

“YOU’RE IN MY WAY–!!!”

Both the ordinary mobile knights and the special models were scrapped one after another.

“Shit!”

Dolph wracked his brain on how to handle this situation, but unfortunately, the problem wasn’t going to just let him do that.

“Enemy aircraft incoming!”

Upon hearing the sorrowful screams of the operator, Avid violently landed on Dolph’s flagship.

Part of the ship’s armour was stripped bare, air and various liquids spouting from the gap.

Dolph moved to the front of the bridge, and took in the image of Avid wielding it’s large sword.

“LIAMMM!!!”

With hatred swelling in his heart, the surrounding debris of the destroyed battleships and mobile knights gathered on his flagship.

Wildly attaching themselves to it, eventually they started to take the shape of the upper half of a giant mobile knight.

“W-what’s happening?!”

Dolph was confused, but the guide standing next to him had a bitter expression on his face.

His teeth were clenched, blood was dripping from the edge of his mouth, and he was grasping at his chest.

“…why won’t you just die already?! Why must you… torment me so?!”

Liam’s feelings of gratitude were increasing.

No, Liam has always been grateful, but the power of it for some reason felt amplified this time, bringing the guide severe pain.

Squeezing out all he could muster, the guide resolved himself to crush Liam no matter what.

As Avid backed away from the flagship, he spread his arms out.

“So you still had a hidden ace up your sleeve! –looks like it’s finally time for me to use ‘that’!”

He seemed happy for some reason.

Dolph and the guide’s voices were one.

“LIAM, YOU BASTAAAARD!!!”

Manifesting within the guide’s hand was an object in the shape of a heart.

Pressing it against the flagship’s operation panel, cords stretched out of it and started corrupting the machinery.

They looked like blood vessels as they spread out, pulsating all the while.

“With this… you’ll definitely-!!!

It was an ancient artifact he found while he was traveling around.

When the giant mobile knight opened its mouth and roared, the ship began to shake erratically.

◇ ◇ ◇

Apparently, the Berkley family still had a trump card on them.

Assimilating the surrounding battleships and aircrafts, they had turned their flagship into a giant mobile knight.

Even if it was only the upper half of one, it was ridiculously large– the biggest target I’ve ever seen.

“Last time I couldn’t go all out, so it was an incomplete testrun. Avid… it’s finally time to show what happens when we’re serious.”

Touching the operation panel, a sound resounded out.

“–connected.”

After the short electronic message, a large magic circle appeared on Avid’s back.

From there a giant battleship manifested itself.

No– Avid’s true body had appeared.

What I was using right now was nothing but the core.

There was an idea that the Seventh Weapons Factory had given up on before.

They simply wanted to make a mobile knight with the performance and specs of a battleship.

Or should they make a battleship with the versatility of a mobile knight?

After that, they came up with the idea of combining an unmanned battleship with a mobile knight– and of course, that proposal was obviously rejected.

It’s no wonder.

That idea was too wasteful.

But you see, I was a man who loved wasteful things.

Cords extended from the magic circle towards Avid, energy flowing in with each part attached.

It wasn’t just weapons that were housed in Avid magic storage space.

The rest of Avid itself was there.

Avid was then sucked into the battleship that had manifested from the magic circle.

Storing Avid into its center, the battleship transformed and changed itself into a humanoid.

So wasteful. This was an overwhelmingly wasteful function.

“How is it?! This is a weapon created from the blood taxes squeezed from my territory!”

The monster in front of me was probably created from an artifact similar to my alchemy box.

But it was useless.

I’ve been vainly searching for ways to increase my power.

As a result, I had arrived at the extremity of wastefulness– transforming a vessel into a humanoid form, creating a mobile knight with the full power and specs of a battleship.

The enemy might’ve been a little bigger, but I didn’t care about that at all.

I mean, the Seventh Weapons Factory was full of idiots who loved to make things like this.

A battle between super huge mobile knights.

I’ve always wanted to experience this at least once!

“Avid, let’s show them your full power!”

As I grabbed the control stick like a new toy and stepped on the foot pedal, Avid seemed to roar in agreeance.

It might’ve just been the vibration from the engine or power reactor, but this was a matter of feelings.

Avid’s giant arm collided with the enemy’s arm– smashing it into smithereens.

“How’s that?! All of this was created using rare metals! A lump of second-class metals like that could never beat us!”

After destroying and tearing off one of the enemy’s arms, the surrounding debris started to gather together to restore it.

“So it has a restoration function? –then it should try its best to entertain me.”

Then that meant this was my chance to try out everything I could.

There were a lot of things I wanted to experiment using.

Avid’s cannons began firing at the enemy, gradually wearing away at their surface layer.

I’d peel parts of it off, blowing other parts away– those parts would then restore themselves, and the process would repeat.

“It’s useless.”

The enemy rampaged and tried to swing its arm at me, but a large blade emerged from Avid’s hand and slashed it off.

Unfortunately, it was impossible to reproduce the One-Flash like this.

There was also the fact that it seemed to restore cuts easier.

“Missiles.”

After launching missiles from various parts, the enemy was shrouded in a cascade of explosions.

Even so, it amazingly continued to restore itself even after that.

“That ability of yours to collect trash is interesting, I want it.”

Avid’s chest opened up and a bright light started to build up in the center of it.

“A main gun holding a ridiculous amount of power is a man’s romance. –don’t you think so as well?”

Firing the main gun at the enemy that didn’t answer me, the surroundings were enveloped by light.

The think light burst through the enemy, burning it out faster than it could restore itself.

It tried reaching its arms out in protection, but those were burned away as well.

“You’re done for!”

Seeing the enemy gradually fall apart while unable to sustain itself was really satisfying.

“If I just wanted to shoot the main gun, there’s no real point doing so in human form.”

I was just restating the obvious.

But useless features were awesome.

I expanded Avid’s visual feed.

There, the image of the enemy’s flagship emerged.

It was beaten and tattered, not likely able to move anymore.

“…they sure are troublesome.”

I directed Avid’s hand to grab the flagship’s bridge.

“Lord Liam, the enemy has begun to withdraw.”

Just when I was about to crush it, I froze after hearing Tia’s message.

“So we finished this battle following the textbook examples then?”

“I think fighting like a champion suits you far better, Lord Liam.”

“The flattery is nice, but since we’re already doing it, why don’t we just follow the textbook this time? All forces are to charge. Don’t let a single one get away.”

It would be annoying if any escaped and started resisting, so I’ve decided to thoroughly crush the Berkley family.

However, their family tree was large.

There’s no way I’ve gotten them all with just this battle.

–considering how I wanted to kill them all to the last man, I couldn’t help but lament how troublesome this was going to be.

◇ ◇ ◇

Falling to the floor on his back, Dolph laughed as blood spilled from his mouth.

Blood was flowing from an abdomen wound he was pressing his hand against.

“…so I was right afterall.”

Despite losing, Dolph happily burst into laughter after hearing the conversation between Liam and Tia.

“I knew assault tactics were utter nonsense. Defense oriented maneuvers are better, since those are only effective after the enemy formation has already collapsed! You may have won Liam, but at the same time you’re practically admitting your mistake!”

Assault tactics had lost.

Dolph knew he was right, he had believed this ever since the simulator battle back when they were still cadets.

Staring at the looming ceiling above him, Dolph continued to laugh as Avid’s hand moved to crush the bridge.

“I WASN’T WRONG!!!”

◇ ◇ ◇

From outer space, the guide silently watched as Dolph got squeezed to death by Avid’s hand.

Gripping the brim of his hat with both his hands, he was trembling.

“How am I supposed to win?! How the hell am I supposed to defeat you, Liam?!”

He had done everything he could.

He had even used his trump card.

However, it was all for nought.

At that moment, Avid collected the heart-shaped device that was drifting in space.

“Oh, this thing gives off a somewhat different feeling. Should I try showing it to Brian?”

Liam was in good spirits.

The over three hundred thousand ships of the Berkley armada were scattered by the Banfield fleet’s assault.

Being chased down by the regular army, they were easily sunk without much effort.

And as for those of them who tried to surrender– they were mercilessly shot down.

The guide reached out towards Liam– who was still in good spirits.

“LIAMMM!!!”

Black smoke shot out towards Liam, but it couldn’t reach him.

He seemed to be protected by something invisible.

“Wait, that’s it!”

The guide immediately started searching for something.

It wasn’t the eldest son of the Berkley family who tried to flee but was caught.

All the other people were useless as well.

The guide finally found them while he was clenching his teeth.

“Yes, there’s still one person here who can overturn this situation!”

It was someone stationed right by Liam’s side.

–Eulisia.

“For the revenge you’ve sworn to enact against Liam, I’ll give you all the power I have!”

The guide shared his power with Eulisia.

“Go out there and stab him already!”

◇ ◇ ◇

–After hearing the results of the war, Cashmiro had a burnt-out expression on his face.

“So we lost?”

It was their complete defeat.

The son who had entered to give a report was pale.

“Father, things are only going to get worse if we don’t run away! Although the regular fleets have withdrawn, the Banfield house’s army is heading our way! If we don’t escape quickly, we’ll be killed!”

When his eldest son was captured and presented to Liam, he was immediately executed on the spot.

Liam was serious about this.

He had absolutely no intention to negotiate.

“Contact the imperial capital. We need the Empire to act as mediators.”

They were still guaranteed to lose a lot, but it was better than nothing.

Just when he had decided so, a communication monitor opened up.

But it wasn’t just one.

Several more followed right after.

“T-the hell?!”

In front of the panicked Cashmiro were multiple lords of the imperial nobility.

However, it wasn’t the people that he usually made deals with.

One of them– a man who had his grey hair slicked back, called out to him cheerfully.

“Hello, master of the Pirate Nobles. How about that economy, huh?”

Another one– a man with a muscular build and wearing an eyepatch, scoffed at Cashmiro in a disdainful manner,

“The pirates have recently been incited to attack us. Now Cashmiro, would a bastard like you know anything about that?”

All of them were lords that were Cashmiro’s enemies, the ones who chose to support Liam.

They might look a little rough, but they were all prime examples of what imperial nobles should be like.

Among them was Baron Exner.

“Baron Berkley. Your companions have told me that you instructed them to attack us.”

The aristocrats who sided with Cashmiro were their opponents.

But when they heard that Liam was the victor– they all immediately surrendered.

The eyepatched man crossed his arms.

“It was really refreshing to crush them!”

The grey-haired man added on,

“…by the way, how do plan to compensate us for all the damages you’ve caused?”

But before Cashmiro could say anything, an alarm resounded throughout the mansion.

And another call came in from one of his subordinates.

“Lord Cashmiro! T-thirty thousand of the Banfield house’s ships are invading us!”

Opening a nearby window and looking up at the sky, enough battleships to cover the sky had appeared.

They were descending one after another while releasing ground troops.

The territory’s interception systems were quickly destroyed, and the land squadrons began to enter the mansion.

His son was crying.

“Father! They’re coming!”

Cashmiro lost all the strength in his legs and collapsed to the floor.

“…cut off my head. Take it so you can start negotiations with the head of the Banfield house.”

“U-understood, father.”

Cashmiro’s son took out his gun to shoot him with trembling hands.

But that’s when infantry soldiers in powered suits burst into the room.

“Don’t move! If you resist, no mercy will be shown!”

It was a knight who was leading them.

Seeing the state Cashmiro was in, he immediately kicked armed son away.

Cashmiro was then taken into custody right after.

“Follow!”

While being violently pulled, Cashmiro called out to the knight,

“…with the kid– no, I want to begin negotiations with the head of the Banfield house.”