On my way back to Tesla Labs after the Excellence Team vanished, Echidna's transmission came through.
"Captain, the main force has arrived. Vindel-sama and the others are preparing to depart immediately."
"Looks like we bought enough time. Understood."
"Return quickly, Captain."
"Yeah. Keep prepping for the transfer."
"Yes, sir."
Ten minutes later, Tesla Labs came into view. Shadow Mirror units dotted the perimeter, and among them was Lemon's Weissavior.
The Weissavior, a customized Ashsavior, swapped out the Laser Blade and Gun Rapier for the O.O. Rifle, capable of switching between solid and beam rounds. I'd assumed the O.O. Rifle was developed in the other world, but Lemon had repurposed it from Gespenst Mk-IV blueprints she'd acquired. If my memory's right, the Gespenst Mk-IV was the Weissritter in that world, so it tracks. The Weissavior also carried an upgraded Solid Sword Breaker, with eight units instead of the Ashsavior's six.
"You're late, Axel," Lemon's voice came over the comms, laced with mock complaint but tinged with concern—our long history made that clear.
"Got held up. Not much to show for it, though. The advance team and Vindel?"
"They're gone. Just the seized units and us left."
"Mostly on schedule, then."
"But the Excellence didn't pan out. Vindel was disappointed. …How are they?" Lemon asked.
I shook my head silently.
Fiona and I weren't close, but Lemon had bonds with Raji as a fellow scientist, Mizuho as a designer, and Raul as a younger brother figure. She was worried.
"Some weird entity showed up, triggered their Time Flow Engines, and they vanished," I said.
"I see," Lemon replied, eyes briefly downcast before she shook it off. "Time Flow Engines, dimensional transfer… they might've jumped to the distant past or future."
"More importantly, you're here as rearguard?"
"Correct. The enemy's moving faster than expected. We lost contact with Barison's team earlier."
"Barison's… gone?"
So history couldn't be changed. Regret flickered, but I shoved it aside. Barison chose to stay with Shadow Mirror's rebellion, knowing the risks. I could only hope he went out without regrets.
"Guess it's time to pay the piper," Lemon said. "Not that I plan to."
"This operation was too rushed. A losing gamble—nothing left if we fail."
"That's not like you, Axel. 'If you try, you might succeed; if you don't, you won't.' Besides, I'm kind of looking forward to the other side."
"The other side? …You mean her?"
I'd once let slip about Excellen during a private moment. As Lemon's template, she was bound to intrigue her.
Lemon smirked, dodging. "Who knows?"
"That's not like you. Even if she's there, she's—"
"I'm not expecting anything. Just curious."
I stared, but Lemon's poker face was leagues better than mine—impossible to read.
"By the way, checked the DGG units we seized?" I asked.
"Yeah. Never imagined they were building those underground."
"They're mostly parts. Your take?"
"Unit 1's built for Zengar Zombolt, so it's a lost cause."
"What about W15? He's modeled after Zengar's personality, right?"
"Personality, yes. Appearance too, somewhat. But not identical. I'll try, but it's likely a no-go. I'm eyeing the Grungust Type-3 for him instead. Either way, his mental stability's an issue before he's combat-ready."
Wodan needed to link with Magus at Earth Cradle in the other world to be viable.
"And Unit 2?"
"It's also a dedicated unit, but the pilot data's missing. It's probably unusable too."
"As a unit, sure. But its weapons?"
"Those are fine. Interested?"
"Yeah. Those two large beam launchers—could they fit the Grow Savior?"
"Axel, think about scale. Unit 2's twice the Grow Savior's size. The weapons as-is… wait." Lemon paused, mulling something over. "They can't be used directly, like most weapons. But like with Chronos, if we adjust… weight balance might be an issue, but settings can fix that. The real problem is—"
Her brainstorming was cut short as my T-LINK System pinged. They're coming.
"Lemon, go."
"Axel?"
She noticed my shift in demeanor, pausing to look at me, puzzled.
"I've got company. Or rather, a wolf at my heels."
"The Beowulfs?"
"Yeah. I can't just run with my tail between my legs. And knowing that Beowulf, he might follow us into the transfer."
Normally, I'd call that impossible, but this was Beowulf. With Einste existing in the other world, it wasn't a stretch.
"Here they come—the Federation's rotten ghosts. Devourers of all, friend or foe: the Beowulfs, the Federation's special suppression force."
A Gespenst Mk-III appeared, flanked by four mass-produced Gespenst Mk-IIs—the same formation as when it absorbed Bullet. Fate's irony.
"Gespenst Mk-III. Of course, it's you, Kyosuke Nanbu, haunting us to the end," I said.
"It's beyond obsession," Lemon added.
"We met at the academy, fought together for Shadow Mirror, and now we're enemies," I said.
"Yesterday's friend, today's enemy," Lemon quipped.
A voice crackled from the Beowulf. "You… are not wanted… in this world… we will… pierce you."
Its Gespenst Mk-III began to grow—not an illusion, but physically enlarging.
"This reaction!?" Lemon gasped.
"It's changed since our last fight," I said.
"Worse than in Europe. He's… not himself anymore," Lemon said.
"Ha… hahaha… creation and destruction, destruction and creation…" the Beowulf rambled.
"He's gone to the other side completely. Not even sure he recognizes us anymore. A monster," I said, advancing the Grow Savior toward the Beowulfs.
"Axel, what's your plan?" Lemon asked.
"Settling the score."
"Wait! We're transferring soon!"
"I need to eliminate loose ends. He's too dangerous—barely human anymore."
"Loose ends? The Beowulfs… or something else?"
"Both. To secure Rykeios after our transfer, we need to remove variables—especially this anomaly."
"Once you decide, there's no changing your mind, huh? Don't be late, Axel. You know that."
"Go!"
"We'll set Rykeios to activate 20 minutes after our transfer. Don't get lost in the fight and miss it," Lemon said.
Her Weissavior and the remaining units retreated into Tesla Labs.
Twenty minutes. Plenty of time.
"Beowulf—no, I'll call you Kyosuke-senpai here. I might've saved you from the Einste. But my own selfishness threw that chance away. The Beowulf is the calamity my choices created. So I'll be the one to end it."
"All units, deploy… crush them!" Beowulf commanded.
With that, my final battle in this world began.
Character Stats: Axel Almer
Level: 24
PP: 60
Melee: 202
Ranged: 220
Skill: 212
Defense: 209
Evasion: 237
Accuracy: 259
SP: 334
Ace Bonus: SP Boost (Consumes SP to enhance Slime performance)
Growth Type: All-Rounder/Special
Terrain Adaptability:
Air: S
Land: S
Sea: B
Space: A
Spirit Commands:
Accelerate (SP 4)
Effort (SP 8)
Focus (SP 16)
Direct Hit (SP 20)
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Skills:
EXP Up
SP Boost (SP Up Lv.9 & SP Recovery & Focus)
Psychokinesis Lv.10
Attacker
Gunfight Lv.9
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Kill Count: 87