Well, Fuka had a rough start, so it's time to give her some time to shine... or more like blow people up. Boss also gets a nice scene that cracked me up. Anyway, the next chapter is going to be the final one in this volume (SECT.10+ will be in volume 3) and just to get everyone hyped up... I'd like to remind those who have finished this chapter that the next one is called "Ten Minute Massacre".
Full-width text (Like this) is emphasising that the original text is written using the Latin alphabet. Note that most abbreviations that are not in italics are written using the Latin alphabet as well. Italic text is Engrish (English written in katakana). Abbreviations in italics means that the Japanese version used some shorter form of an English word, but in katakana. Comic sans font is used to indicate words written in an unusual way (English in hiragana or Japanese in katakana). In cases when I needed to emphasise that the word is Japanese (or when the text specifically commented about it being Japanese), I added the Japanese version as furigana.
Any feedback is appreciated.
Translation: Gsimenas
Editing: Pryun, ZeHaffen
SECT.7 | Index | SECT.9 |
Between 13:10 and 13:19──
Eighteen out of thirty teams engaged in battle.
And of them, seven teams were wiped out or, believing themselves unable to continue, resigned. Even the teams that were playing around on the bridge disappeared from sight on cordial terms. The number of teams able to see the second scan was twenty-three.
But then, some of the surviving teams had lost several members, and thus suffered a drastic decrease in their power. Such groups had to seriously consider what to do next.
As for the sole team among the participants that started out with merely two people,
“Yippee, my feet grew back! Yippee!”
Fukaziroh had regained her freedom of movement.
This happened in a house, slightly away from the house that they had taken refuge in. A place far enough away to cause LLENN to wonder whether her back had started hurting after dragging Fukaziroh all the way here.
Some time had passed since she had lost her feet, thus the part that was glowing started growing, and her feet grew back as if by magic. That’s a game for you. Her blown off tights and bootsreturned to normal as well.
She had used a first aid kit while waiting, thus her hit points were slowly returning to max.
“Hyahhou! My feet! I’m so glad, so glad!”
Fukaziroh hopped around inside the room.
“Alright!”
LLENN, who had been clinging to the window frame and keeping a watch on the surroundings, looked at her wristwatch in the dark room.
The digital numbers that automatically adjusted to the brightness,
“I guess we’ll look at the next scan here.”
Informed her that it was 13:19:20. They no longer had the time to move out.
“Gotcha! I won’t make such a blunder again! I’ll take advantage of it! And, 『Honey, you look rather tired』, provoke them like this!”
“Yeah. But, watch out, since trap wires could be set at waist or head level too. Oh, and if you try stepping across one, it might be set at a height for you to end up touching it. If you try to dismantle it, another trap might activate.”
“Ugeh. That’s dirty.”
In response to Fukaziroh’s grimace, LLENN smiled.
“That’s what GGO battles are like. You’ll get used to it eventually. You might end up watching out for wires over an entrance even IRL.”
“You’ve really become strong…… I’m glad.”
And so, the second scan began.
This time, the artificial satellite came from the south at a rather quick pace.
Naturally, the scan was also quick, thus LLENN and Fukaziroh were forced to check it frantically. And so, they discovered that annihilated/resigned teams numbered seven, and moreover,
“Alright!”
“They’re still he~re.”
They also found out that Pitohui’s team was safe. They had practically not moved from theirstarting point, and there were no annihilated/resigned teams in their vicinity. In other words, it seemed that they had not taken part in battle.
“I’m glad, but…… that’s a long way to go……”
LLENN put her mixed feelings into words.
The opponents they had to defeat were still very far from the city they were currently in. And there were many dots of light shining in-between.
At the moment, the closest to them was the team in the station that was just over 1 km away.
Magnifying the map, she saw that they were right in the centre of the station, on the platform. She could not magnify it further, so she could not make out the details.
She could tell that they were not moving, but one’s movement and course would be clearly seen by enemies during a scan, thus it should be avoided as much as possible.
Of course, it could not be helped if one was being pursued, but there was a high-grade techniqueto〝go the opposite direction from one's actual intention during the scan〟.
LLENN took several seconds to consider why they were in the station. She made use of the knowledge that she had obtained from Pitohui and M.
And then she gave the answer.
“There’s a railway running straight to the north and south, and there’s a rotary to the the east and west of the station; for a place within the town, I believe it has quite the good view. If the platform is made of concrete, bullets won’t be able to pierce it no matter how strong they are. They should have taken position on the platform and set up an ambush.”
Hearing her words,
“More campers! Why those bunch of chickens! Let’s run them over with a train!”
Fukaziroh was angry.
However, just like their previous opponents, this was a splendid strategy, so nothing could be done about it. It was just like an intentional walk in baseball.
Especially since the abilities of the previous champion, LLENN── her quick-wittedness, shortness, and mercilessness, should be well known to the participants due to the videos. It was obvious that lying in wait in a place with a good view was better than recklessly going into a melee.
As for Fukaziroh’s plan of 〝running them over〟, LLENN thought that using the train would not be a bad idea, but they did not know how to operate it.
On the map, they saw that Boss’s SHINC had also survived.
Based on their position during the previous scan, they were moving northeast, straddling the railway. There was one gray dot along their route. They were undoubtedly massacred by the girls.
“…………”
‘Damn.’
LLENN made a sour face, as if she had consumed a bitter bug.
If Boss’s group continued to advance like that, they would meet up in the vicinity of the dome at the centre of the map, or before the mountains in the southeast. ‘You could have just come north’, she thought, but could not change the situation.
‘Hey! Don’t go soft now! You’ll lose if you do!”
LLENN shouted in her mind. She had made a decision. To eliminate any nuisance in their way.
The scan ended in less than 30 seconds. LLENN immediately put away the terminal, and gave instructions to her partner.
“The station team is in the way, so we’re striking them! We’ll approach them by moving along the walls of the houses.”
And then, Fukaziroh grinned.
It should have been an honest smile, but due to the dimness of the room coupled with her impish appearance, it could only be regarded as sinister.
“Hey, LLENN, I apologised for my blunder, but allow me to play an active role for a bit.”
“Sure, you have a plan?”
* * *
13:25.
Having dashed through the ghost town at full speed, LLENN and Fukaziroh arrived in the vicinity of the station.
Of course, they moved taking into account the possibility that the team in the station had anticipated their arrival and would engage them midway, but──
“Alight, coast clear.”
As expected, the team seemed to be waiting in ambush and did not engage them in battle.
Under the cloudy sky, Fukaziroh squatted down in the shadow of a general variety store approximately 300 metres to the northwest of the station.
On the store window hung a sign with the English words 〝Bargain sale before the world falls to ruin! Do your life's final shopping in this store!〟.
“Nice. This will do.”
Ahead were several similar small stores, lined up before the rotary in front of the station.
If they advanced further, they would end up in the field of fire of the ambushing team, and receive a merciless rain of bullets from them.
A field of fire was literally the area where shooting was possible. The range was dependent on the ability of the gun, but taking into consideration the usual 5.56 mm assault rifle, advancing further was dangerous.
“LLENN, tell me the direction.”
“Roger.”
LLENN moved nimbly to the end of the house, and stealthily stuck just her eyes out. She confirmed the position of the railway and rotary, and the station from there, and returned again.
Using her left hand, she gave instructions to Fukaziroh,
“This way. Approximately 300 metres.”
“Okay okay. Roger. It’s all good.”
Fukaziroh dropped 1 of her 2 MGL-140s to the ground, and sat down, throwing her legs out forward. Slightly lowering the upper half of her body, she used her backpack as a backrest to support her.
And then, she placed her MGL-140 between her thighs and supported it as she aimed it towards the sky.
“Alright, LLENN, I’m counting on you.”
Fukaziroh said with a broad grin,
“Alright, Fuka, I’m counting on you.”
LLENN patted Fukaziroh on the shoulder, and started running away.
In the old days, this was an important method of public transportation for the people living in this now-deserted town──
The station with such a setting still stood even now, when there were no more people living here.
The sign indicating the station’s name, written horizontally, was crooked and had become so dirty that it was unreadable. The tracks had become red from all the rust, while the railway sleepers had become so rotten that they had split from their edges.
The station building, which was as simple as a small house, stood only on the east side. And, as if its central pillar had been broken, it had collapsed from the centre.
The platform was made of sturdy concrete, thus it had survived. Its length was about 100 metres. The two platforms had two tracks (in other words, four rails) on either side.
The platform and tracks had become an encampment.
The height of the platform was about 60 cm, shorter than those of Japan’s railroads. There, sixplayers were lurking.
All of them were men and their garments were all dissimilar. There were obviously men wearing camouflage, but there were also people wearing GGO-like futuristic combat uniforms, as well as people in casual wear consisting of jeans and jerseys, as if they were in the middle of shopping.
And also, they had a certain trait that no other team had.
This was the fact that their arms were all optical guns. SF weapons that fired beams of energy and had fictitious appearances.
* * *
13:30.
The third scan began from the northwest.
LLENN and Fukaziroh looked at their terminal screens while surrounded by four speechless, in other words, dead enemies on the platform that was the defensive position of the enemy teamjust moments ago.
Boss and the other SHINC members had entered a forest in the wide field area and had taken up a defensive position to completely observe their surroundings. Only Boss was looking at the terminal screen.
Beyond the trees towered a huge and mysterious white dome, giving off a sense of intimidation.
M, surrounded by his teammates among the rocks and trees, looked at his terminal screen.
Behind him, Pitohui had found an area with soft soil and was lying there in complete rest mode.
“Tell me if you see anything peculiar.”
And said only this.
The third scan began from the northwest.
The eye in space conveyed information equally to all the surviving characters.
Speaking of the teams that had recently died, one was, of course, blown away by Fukaziroh, so a dot was displayed on the station.
As for the others, there were two more in the hilly area in the northern sector of the map. The name of the surviving team in the area was MMTM. They were genuinely strong, thus, looking at it honestly, they must have annihilated the two teams in 10 minutes.
Three annihilated teams were shown in the eastern section of the city, where various houses were lined up.
It seemed that the teams that had run away from Boss’s group, as well as the teams that began SJ2 from the centre of the town, had all unfortunately swarmed up there.
The downtown had small alleys, so they certainly had to end up in a fierce, short-ranged battle. No survivor could be seen in the vicinity, thus it was highly likely that the battle ended with them wiping each other out.
And so, the scan reached the south-eastern sector, the vicinity of the mountains where M’s group was lurking.
As they looked at the screen, LLENN, Boss, MMTM’s leader and M──
“Hmm?”
“Ohh!”
“What the hell.”
“Mmm…..”
Exclaimed at exactly the same moment.
The approximately 2 km rectangle-sized steep mountain in the southeastern section of the map.
At the moment, that was where PM4, in other words, Pitohui’s team, had taken up position ever since the tournament started. All the other teams ran away.
However, for some reason, seven white dots had gathered in the field at the west foot of the mountain.
The distance between them… was practically zero.
They were so close that only when the map was magnified to the max did the dots finally not overlap.
“What’s up with this? LLENN. There’s seven of them at the same place? Ain’t that impossible?”
Fukaziroh enquired,
“Son of a……”
The moment LLENN understood the situation, she made a more grim expression than she ever had.
“Onyah? This is interesting.”
The Bizon-wielding, silver-haired Tanya shared her impression with the other SHINC members. This was done through the communication item, thus her face could not be seen, but everyone knew based on her voice that she was grinning broadly.
And these words followed.
“We definitely wouldn’t join a plan like that though.”
MMTM’s leader’s reaction was but one phrase.
“Hah!”
He gave a disdainful laugh.
M,
“Pito, even if you’re lying down, you can still look at the terminal. Take a look. There’s something awfully peculiar there.”
Told Pitohui in his usual calm tone.
The scan ended.
Teams that were annihilated/dropped out in the last 10 minutes numbered six. The survivors - seventeen.
After the terminal was returned to her pocket,
“What’s going on? LLENN. If you get it, I look forward to your explanation.”
Fukaziroh asked as she lifted her MGL-140.
“I’ll explain while we run! Follow me!”
The moment that LLENN said this, she broke into a run with her P90 in her right hand. She was still giving a grim expression.
“Roger.”
Fukaziroh followed after LLENN, and agilely jumped over the platform.
There were no enemies that seemed to be in the way along LLENN’s route to the dome.
There were two teams in the dome, but it seemed that LLENN could ignore them for now, thus she continued running.
Just like before, LLENN first dashed at full speed into the shadow of a cover. Then, while keeping a watch on her surroundings, she waited for Fukaziroh and, once she caught up, began running again.
While doing so, she explained the grave situation that they had discovered during the scan.
“Those seven teams! They’re conspiring!”
“Ha? What do you mean?”
“That is to say, they’ve formed a temporary truce! That was probably the leaders gathered up and discussing! I believe some eloquent guy is holding negotiations and trying to persuade theteams in the vicinity. It seems he’s planning to group up with them and drive away M’s group, who are secluding themselves in the mountains!”
“Aah! ──The mystery has been solved!”
“How unsightly.”
At the golden-haired sniper Anna’s words,
“Those wretched bastards……”
Boss muttered provokingly.
Even though she only muttered this, her words reached all of her teammates via the communication item, and Rosa, who was keeping a watch on their surroundings with her PKMmachine gun,
“So they think they can win against M by sitting silently?”
“I wonder. Well, there is the phrase 〝to be outnumbered〟. No matter how superior M is, and even if he has that shield, he can’t possibly defend if he’s shot from above or behind.”
Boss answered uninterestedly and shrugged her stern shoulders.
* * *
Slightly turning back the clock.
What happened between 13:20 and 13:30 was just as LLENN and the others predicted.
All the members of the team led by a leader wearing protectors were standing in a conspicuous spot of the field, hoisting a huge white flag that they had taken out of storage.
It was a flag several metres in length and width, conspicuous even from afar.
On the flag, 〝Don’t shoot, we have a proposal! We won’t shoot either, so send someone over!〟, was written.
This surprised the teams in the area. Because, when they thought that they would attack an enemy since they were close, the enemy sent them a message.
At first, they wondered ‘What the hell is going on’, but they recalled that PM4 was in the mountains behind them, and figured it out.
Each team dispatched one or two messengers. And, they discovered that their prediction was correct.
In other words, the proposal was 〝Let’s band together and take down tough enemies〟. ‘First off, let’s kick PM4, who are lying on their backs in the mountains and which includes one of the previous champions, out of SJ2.’
‘Afterwards, we will go for MMTM or the amazons. Of course, if we are able to dispose of those two, we will also target LLENN’s LF.’
‘After disposing of them all, we will immediately part ways, and continue the battle royale from there.’
‘This way, the 〝puny teams〟 can enjoy SJ2 longer, and have a better chance at winning and getting the top prizes.’
The man who brought this up had also devised a plan for taking down the tough opponents.
Which was the 〝using leaders as decoys plan〟 that had been very successful for the previous champion team. To gather and leave all the team leaders in a safe place, while the rest attacked.
‘Only the leader's’ position is revealed during a scan. In that case, let’s take advantage of that and intentionally gather up the leaders.’
‘Even if the enemy used the scan to find out our positions, they will be unable to tell where the squad which has detached from the leaders is. A plan to force the enemy to rely solely on their eyes.’
‘On the other hand we’ll give out instructions to our teammates using the communication itemsthat almost all teams have.’
He polished up their strategy with the leaders while looking at the map, and gave orders like 〝My people will attack from here. Have your people attack from the opposite side〟.
This satisfied the requirements for making use of a large number of people while guaranteeing freedom of action.
There were teams who immediately said 〝Magnificent!〟in agreement, and there were teamswho were worried for a bit after hearing the proposal and plan.
And as more people gathered, the negotiations restarted and the number of teams participating kept increasing.
Even the teams that worried went 〝If you can't beat 'em, join 'em〟, and decided to participate as the number of participants continued to increase.
And so, by 13:30, the number of teams gathered, including the one that brought up the idea, was seven.
They included teams like the history lovers who were down to three people, and teams who had suffered damage in battle, so the total number of men was thirty-six.
With so many people gathering, it was no longer a squad, but a platoon.
Therefore, the name given to it was── Plan Platoon.
‘With so much fighting power, we can win against any enemy, no matter how big or small they are with our numbers!”
The characters who decided to participate snickered.
And so, leaving the leaders behind as planned, the armed group of twenty nine soldiers began their assault on the mountain.
To massacre M and his team.
NOTES
1. ^ A makigari (巻き狩り) is a type of hunt where the hunting area is surrounded on four sides by hunters
Sponsored Content