Chapter 52

【Main Book】I Am the Wicked Lord of the Interstellar State! Volume 9 will be released on October 25th.

For more details, please check the Overlap Bunko website.

There, the information is accurate.

In the cockpit of Atalante, who was fighting the Gold Raccoon with its replaced arms, Emma was breaking out in a cold sweat.

The reason was that she had mistimed the entry into the overload state.

If she had realized that Sirena was holding back, she wouldn't have misjudged the timing to play her trump card.

Moreover, her right arm, which had been broken by Sirena, was trembling.

(I can endure the pain, but it's bad that I can't use as much strength as usual.)

Atalante was a mobile knight that overreacted to even the slightest movement of the control stick.

Only Emma could operate it, but delicate maneuvers were limited with her broken right arm.

This wouldn't be a problem for a regular knight, but it was a problem against an opponent like Sirena.

Sirena, who had broken Emma's right arm, had noticed this weakness.

"Hey? Your right arm isn't moving well, is it?!"

Reacting to Atalante's overload state, she attacked with her sharp claws.

Atalante mounted its multi-purpose rifle on its back and gripped a pistol in its right hand.

"Even in this state, I won't lose to you!"

Trying to use speed to strike and retreat repeatedly, but Sirena seemed to have anticipated this.

"How long did you think the same tactics would work, little girl?!"

The Gold Raccoon, using its long arms effectively, rotated like a chess piece to evade Atalante's attacks.

"!"

Shooting with the pistol, but the bullets were deflected by the Gold Raccoon's armor.

"It's useless!"

The moment Atalante approached, the Gold Raccoon slowed its rotation and delivered a punch.

The impact, combining Atalante's speed and the rotational force, was like a hammer blow.

The strike, which seemed to penetrate the entire machine, violently shook Atalante's cockpit.

"Ugh!?"

Shaken violently, Emma spat out a large amount of saliva and almost lost consciousness for a moment.

Sirena didn't miss this opportunity.

"Hahaha! -- Die, you dreamy little girl!!"

Opening her hand, she thrust her sharp claws into Atalante.

Atalante used its right arm as a shield, discarding it.

The Gold Raccoon's sharp claws easily pierced and tore through Atalante's right arm.

"I'll take your right arm. Next, I want your left arm!"

It seemed she had decided on the next part to destroy as revenge for what had been done to her.

Emma, feeling a sense of unease at Sirena's unexpected determination, had no time to dwell on it.

"Don't be greedy...!!"

At the moment she used harsh words, Atalante delivered a sharp kick to the Gold Raccoon's hip joint.

Many of the male pilots watching the battle seemed to gasp, but Emma pressed the attack without hesitation.

The attack from below violently shook the cockpit, and Sirena looked quite distressed.

"For someone who aims to be a righteous knight, you're quite naive!"

"I won't lose to someone who only mocks others!"

Quickly checking the status of her machine, Emma found that her left leg was also damaged, just like her right arm.

Due to the forceful kick to the Gold Raccoon, her left leg was also unusable.

(If this continues, I'll lose... but I don't want to lose to her!)

◇

In the cockpit of the Gold Raccoon, Sirena was dripping blood from the corner of her mouth in front of Atalante.

It seemed she had cut her mouth when the cockpit was violently shaken.

"Do you really think you can beat me? Have you forgotten that I broke your arm?"

Wiping her mouth, Sirena taunted Emma.

However, internally, Sirena was experiencing a complex mix of emotions.

(Why can't I beat this insignificant existence! I've spent so much time modifying this machine and dedicating myself to defeating her... yet why can't I beat you!!)

Attacking with her replaced arms, Atalante stubbornly endured.

Her fighting style lacked the elegance of a knight and was crude and awkward.

However, Atalante's determination to not lose was palpable.

"Even if I lose in a physical fight, I don't intend to lose in a mobile knight battle. I believe I surpass you."

"--- Confidence is admirable, but too much of it is just pitiful."

"Despite that, you haven't defeated me yet."

The one she had looked down on before was now taunting her.

This made Sirena feel a growing sense of discomfort deep inside.

At the same time, Sirena had a gut feeling.

(If I don't finish her off here, she will truly become my equal. I need to end this before it's too dangerous.)

Emma, who was growing stronger with each encounter, was in a growth phase as a knight.

However, her rate of growth was far beyond that of a regular knight.

She was rapidly becoming stronger without losing momentum.

Where most would be satisfied and compromise, Emma was voraciously growing stronger.

Sirena found this terrifying.

"You little girl, always so full of yourself---"

"--- Sorry, but I'm not a little girl anymore."

While arguing, the two mobile knights continued to wear each other down.

Then, Sirena realized something.

(In terms of piloting a mobile knight, I still have the upper hand... but the performance difference between our machines... )

Sirena frowned at her own conclusion.

Indeed, Emma had more talent in piloting a mobile knight, and her growth rate was astonishing even to Sirena.

Still, Sirena had the confidence that her experience made her a match for Emma.

The problem was the performance of the machines.

The Gold Raccoon was not a bad mobile knight, but it was inferior to Atalante.

No matter how much she modified it, Emma's machine was a dedicated unit.

"You're only winning because of the performance difference in our machines."

"I'll do whatever it takes to beat you."

The determination in Emma, who was voraciously seeking victory, made Sirena flinch for a moment.

(When did she become this strong...?)

The difference was slight.

The moment Sirena hesitated, Emma moved forward, getting inside the Gold Raccoon's guard and thrusting the blade of her pistol into its abdomen—below the cockpit.

Emma mercilessly pulled the trigger, slicing and tearing through.

"You monster."

"... It's over."

By the time she realized it, Atalante's overload state had ended, but the Gold Raccoon, with its lower half cut off, was losing balance.

With the blade of the pistol thrust into the cockpit, all it took was one more push from Emma to decide the battle.

--- Sirena had been defeated by Emma.

"How could I, Sirena, lose to a dreamy little girl? It's impossible. Absolutely impossible!"

"No, I won. This ends our feud---"

But the balance of the battle tipped back to Sirena.

Warning shots were fired from above, aimed at Atalante.

"We are the Imperial Regular Army! Banfield family's mobile knight, immediately disarm and surrender!"

The two had been so focused on their battle that they hadn't noticed the approach of their allies.

Since they were identified as allies, Emma's alert system hadn't gone off.

As the allied mobile knights approached Atalante, the poorly maintained Raccoon team, dispatched from Merea, tried to protect their leader.

"Are you going to let them take our captain?!"

However, Emma seemed to have accepted her defeat.

"... Doug, that's enough. Disarm now."

Seeing Atalante lower the pistol, Sirena felt relieved.

But she was disgusted with herself for feeling relieved.

"Am I relieved that I survived? ... What a joke!!"

Sirena slammed her fist into the armrest.

"I... I couldn't afford to lose to her... I couldn't afford to lose to my former self!!"

In the cockpit, Sirena cut off the communication line and cried out in despair.

◇

"Get over here!"

Kicked by an armed soldier, Emma fell to the ground.

After descending from Atalante, she was surrounded and restrained by Imperial Regular Army soldiers.

A military officer, presumably the commander, crouched down and said to Emma,

"Don't think you can defy the Imperial Army and get away with it. What awaits you will be worse than hell. You'll regret what you've done."

Emma, lying on the ground, clenched her teeth in frustration.

(... In the end, I didn't have the strength to assert myself. So, my dream ends here.)

For just one knight, and especially one who had caused problems, the Banfield family wouldn't move to protect her.

Especially now, during a critical time.

Considering this, it was only natural for the Imperial Army to take Emma into custody.

Then, Tim arrived.

"I gave the order. If you're taking anyone, take me."

"Commander? W-Why...?"

When Tim offered to take the blame for Emma, the commander sneered.

"Are you an idiot? Then we'll just arrest both of you. We can't let this troublemaker go unpunished; the nobles won't be satisfied."

As the commander spoke, something blocking the starlight appeared.

"That's... Vahl?"

The appearance of the flagship Vahl confused not only Emma and the others but also the Imperial Regular Army.

Mobile knights began to deploy from Vahl, immediately subduing the Imperial Army's ships and mobile knights.

The commander protested to the sky.

"What are you doing! We're on the same side!!"

The response came from a hologram projected in the sky—Vice-Commander Claus.

'Your actions have gone too far. Therefore, we are taking you into custody.'

"Are you out of your mind? We are the Imperial Army!"

'It doesn't matter. More importantly, there are suspicious points in the fortress assault. This matter will be handed over to the capital planet. You will be taken to the capital planet immediately.'

Being handed over to the capital planet—meaning a military tribunal awaited them.

The commanders collapsed to the ground, and a small shuttle from Vahl landed.

Tim, seeing the small shuttle, immediately realized a noble presence was aboard.

"To think the flagship would come to such a small battlefield."

As the ground troops descended and rescued Emma, Claudia appeared last.

"Tough luck, Lieutenant Rodman."

"Teacher Claudia... ah, Vice-Admiral Claudia."

Emma tried to stand and salute but realized she was restrained.

Claudia smiled wryly at her.

"You're still the same. Anyway, we need to talk to the inhabitants of this planet. Lieutenant Rodman, you should come along."

"Eh?"

【On Sale October 19th!】Fairy Bullet—The Mechanized Maiden and the Beast Soldier—Volume 1

The prototype version of Fairy Bullet is available on "Shousetsuka ni Narou" for readers who are curious about the content. I recommend reading it before purchasing.

Although this was supposed to be a promotion for the wicked lord, it ended up mostly promoting Fairy Bullet.

This chapter is almost over, but I'll keep promoting until the end!