Chapter 45: Well, It Is Sci-Fi, After All

"Anyway, Tierra, focus on healing! Don't go recklessly charging to the front, nya!"

『Huh? Tierra's a healer? Then why was she charging in with dual swords until just now?』

『Minia. The intent behind your question is incomprehensible. According to this unit's data, Tierra's combat style presents no issues whatsoever for a "healer."』

『...Huh? By the way, how big is your sample size for that data?』

『This unit was sealed until recently. Furthermore, this unit determined that its old data was unsuitable for comparison with the current world of "Chaos," so it has not been used as a reference. As a result, 89.9% of this unit's data on "healers" comes from "Tierra As."』

『Isn't that way too faulty?! That's nothing but a problem!』

Seriously, I'm sorry. After acting all smug and going, "Leave this to me!" I'm completely useless and haven't contributed anything to the fight.

"Nanashi, you got any crazy high-powered bombs or something?"

"It's not that I have none. However, one such bomb would turn the entire surrounding area into a wasteland. In the middle of a battle this chaotic, it would be unusable. We'd all end up in the afterlife as collateral damage."

"Whoa, hold on. I was half joking! You seriously carry around stuff that dangerous on a regular basis?"

"...Uh-oh. ...Ahem. It was merely a ninja joke."

"Yeah, there's no way you're getting away with that one."

"Regardless, our priority is to delay the advance toward the Great Forest, even if only a little. There's no way we can wipe out an army this size."

"You're changing the subject... But he's got a point. These guys don't seem to care about us at all. If we attack them, they try to eliminate us, but that's it."

Padron was right. The mechanical soldiers were simply marching straight toward the forest.

They only took action to eliminate us when we attacked them or blocked their path.

At this rate, there was no way we could slow their advance toward the Great Forest. We couldn't even buy Kizuna and the others enough time to persuade the elves.

『They're merely executing a single command: attack the Great Forest. They are simply eliminating anything that interferes with the execution of that command. Conversely, if we could make them recognize us as an overwhelming threat that must be eliminated as a priority before they can complete their mission... then even an army this large could be stopped.』

Minia cut into Nanashi and Padron's conversation.

...Hmm.

In other words, we could hold them back by creating a situation where we became a threat so serious that dealing with us took priority over attacking the Great Forest—and one that required the entire army of mechanical soldiers to respond. That's what she meant.

『But, you know~ It's pretty rare for anything to be considered a threat by the weapons Mikania takes such pride in~...』

All right. Time to try that thing I've been thinking about for a while.

There wasn't the slightest guarantee it would work. But I'd rather not fade into the background as nothing more than "the party's healer."

"Tetoma. At this point, let's do that thing."

『Query: Define "that thing."』

"Well, basically... whisper, whisper..."

『...Understood. This unit agrees that it is an effective strategy.』

Heh heh heh. Behold, users!

"Tetoma!"

『――Authorization confirmed. Pilot No. 1: "Tierra As."』

Tierra raised a blue crystal toward the heavens, and a brilliant blue light poured forth.

The green-haired woman was swallowed by the dazzling radiance.

"Wha—?! What are you planning to do, Tierra?!"

What activated was the one and only ability possessed by Tetoma Nesitea: Aggregation.

It could gather components across the boundaries of all worlds—past, present, and future—and combine them into a single power.

A power once created for war, which had lain dormant in an eternal slumber.

Now, responding to the voice of the Spirit of the Stars, it awakened here as a new power.

"Those are limbs?! Don't tell me... to fight mechanical soldiers, you need mechanical soldiers of your own?!"

Parts from the mechanical soldiers that had been separated during the battle all converged on the crystal at once.

The black mechanical parts were dyed blue by the crystal's power.

The resulting figure easily stood over three meters tall.

Its two hands gripped rugged twin swords, and its powerful legs planted firmly on the ground.

And so, a steel giant made its appearance.

"Now then. A humanoid robot... or, considering its size, perhaps a powered suit. Either way, something like this deserves a proper name, don't you think?"

『Query: Why is that necessary?』

"Obviously, because it's cool."

『...Understood. This unit proposes the designation T², pronounced "T-Squared."』

"That does sound about right... But what's the name based on?"

『"Tetoma" and "Tierra." T × T. Therefore, T².』

"That's actually really good. Approved!"

The mechanical army's single eyes all turned toward the giant at once. They had presumably classified it as a "threat" that needed to be dealt with immediately.

The giant—no, T²—spun its junk-part twin swords around and provoked the mechanical soldiers even further.

"T², launch! Tierra As, taking off!"

"What the heck are you doing, nya?!"

"...Mama, so cool."

"I'll let Rene ride it later, too. But first, let's finish these guys off as quickly as possible."

"Yay! I'll do my best!"

"These idiots are hopeless, nya. Somebody needs to do something about them, and fast!"