3-17: How the Patrols Fight (2/3)
Youko’s expression tightened when her foster’s alarm was set off. She placed her two hands on her sword.
“Three up ahead, and several from behind. There’s 10 seconds until they make contact with the vanguard.
First timers, cover the nearby buildings with a shield. Hurry!”
Yousuke gave orders as soon as he confirmed the numbers of the enemy on his radar.
The students carried them out, covering everything except the road with an invisible energy.
“Simple, right?
But don’t let your guard down. Remember! There are people inside those!”
“Everyone’s a beginner at the start, so just keep calm and watch!”
The two public morals committee members reassured the students as everyone readied to engage the enemy.
Standing at the front was Youko, behind her were the three students of 1-A, and at the rearmost was Yousuke.
The raybeasts were almost within view, but for some reason, they still couldn’t see them.
“Where are they!?”
“If they’re showing on the radar, but we can’t see them, then— They must be bel—”
“—They’re above!”
Youko yelled at the panicking first year as she wielded her blade in the lower-level stance.
“Shock Blade!”
Offensive-Type and Sword-Class Skill ‘Shock Blade’.
A skill that requires one to leave his body to the foster to create a shock wave with the swing of a blade.
When the skill is invoked, the blade is swung upwards, and foster is released into a straight line from the tip of the sword, allowing one to shoot down flying targets from a distance.
As Youko invoked Shock Blade, that something that was about to leap at them from above was shot down to the ground.
When she realized was that something was, she clicked her tongue.
“3 Dog Class. It’ll be tricky if the rest coming from behind are the same.”
The raybeasts had their unique glowing organ on their foreheads, but they were four-legged just like a dog.
If the animals on Earth were to be used as a reference, then it could be said that they looked just like the Doberman breed.
No matter how much they looked like one, however, their lack of breath was all the proof needed to know that they were indeed raybeasts.
Raybeasts looked just like living organisms, but they had none of the functions.
Naturally, that meant they did neither breathed and nor did their heart beat. All they possessed was the instinct that compelled them to destroy.
It’s because of that that Earthlings find them particularly ghastly.
“Check their status now!”
“Yes, sir!
Strength: D
Stamina C
Resistance: C
Agility: B+!”
Yousuke gave that order to a student!
It was fundamental to check the status of a raybeast when facing one.
Raybeasts did not have the ‘Mind’ attribute, as they did not have the will to move photon.
“Just as you’ve heard, the rest of its status may be low, but it’s fast, so forget about taking the initiative!
Don’t go out of your way to challenge the enemy where they’re strong.
Carefully watch their movement, and take them down with a counter!
Their claws and fangs can’t go through your barrier!”
Seeing the students cower, Yousuke brought them back to their senses, and they promptly went back to work.
These students weren’t first timers, but there a was big gap between their experience and Yousuke’s
“The job of the vanguard is to hold the line. You must never let the enemy reach the rear guard.
Use your bodies as shields. Don’t worry, these guys can’t hurt you.
The double-layered defense of barrier and armor can’t be broken by the fangs of some mutt!”
“Yes, Ma’am!”
The two first year students lined up with Youko and wielded their swords as they faced the raybeasts.
It wasn’t a straight line, however, as Youko intentionally placed herself half a step ahead the rest. This was the sort of person she was.
The remaining person in the rear guard took out his blaster alongside Yousuke.
“Our job is to support the vanguard.
We have to pay attention to the enemy coming from behind, as well as those coming from other directions, and warn the vanguard as necessary.”
“Understood!”
By the time everyone was in position, the three dog-class raybeasts that had fallen finally managed to get back up.
It wasn’t a coincidence that they were able to assume their formation at the same time that the raybeasts stood up. Yousuke and Youko had been doing their best to ensure that their formation made it in time.
“They’re coming!”
As if those words were some sort of signal, the raybeasts jumped the moment they were spoken.
The Dog-Class raybeasts neared them in the blink of an eye as they came leaping in with their claws and fangs.
No matter how many times they saw it, they could never grow accustomed to seeing these raybeasts attack with neither the sound of a cry nor the sound of their breathing.
Youko suppressed whatever uneasiness she felt as she stopped a raybeast’s attack with the shield attached to her steel gauntlets.
“Unfortunately for you, your strength is considered average to the special class students!”
The raybeast wanted to bite Youko, but her shield made sure that wasn’t happening. The raybeast could not win in a contest of strength against Youko.
The moment the raybeast was stopped, Youko swung her blade with her right hand without any hesitation, and the forelimbs that sought to strike down was cut down along with its neck.
Yet not even a drop of blood spurted as Youko’s sword cleanly tore the raybeast apart.
In fact, it didn’t even leave behind a corpse. It merely vanished and dispersed.
Raybeasts may look like other living organisms, but they are in fact just lumps of dimensional energies that would lose its form the moment it received more damage than it could take.
The only thing left behind was the glowing organ.
Naturally, these glowing organs are treated as trophies or proofs of one’s hunt, so the students take care not to damage them.
Being able to collect many of it without damaging them is also one of the evaluation points of the academy.
But of course, that’s for when the battle has ended.
Tl Note: Next chapter on Sunday. Just one more week, and we’ll be back to schedule.