[Part Three] The Tip of an Evil Sword
Source Page. Translations courtesy of Falcarius!
Not long after the Central Continent War, which ended with the victory of the Republic army, a united federation was established which respected living together with Zoids.
In front of the naval port gate criss-crossed with searchlights, the advancing Empire remnant army encountered a single unknown Zoid.
Bathed in the searchlights, the machine was clearly different from mass-production Shield Ligers - it was a newly-produced machine with two Thruster Guns on its back.
The one piloting this machine was Wall Spector, a former Republic army ace pilot and a master sergeant in the Federation Army.
As the Helcats' beam guns fired, the newly-produced Shield Liger turned on its heels and concealed itself in the port facilities for a moment.
Facing a battle against a great number of opponents, he repositioned his grip on the control levers so as to regain his cool.
"This is ideal for battling monsters like you. Prepare yourselves!"
After turning his eyes to the photo of his son stuck to the windscreen, Wall opened the Thruster Guns to either side, and quietly advanced.
[Part Two]
While the newly-produced Shield Liger piloted by Wall moved around behind the enemies, concealing itself among the containers, cranes, heavy machinery and the like within the naval port, it destroyed the Helcats one by one with the Thruster Guns on its back.
Watching the state of this battle from the rear, Ash made the Helcats fall back, fired his Focused Charged Particle Cannon, and accurately destroyed the cover where the newly-produced Shield Liger was hiding.
However, although Wall seemed at first glance to be at a disadvantage, he closed the distance to the Geno Ritter while moving bit by bit.
And then, Ash and Wall finally confronted each other.
"I see, the Charged Particle Cannon is a weapon that requires charging for a few seconds to fire... If I can close the distance this much, he can't use it."
Within the cockpit, Ash felt admiration for Wall's tactics, and closed the cover on the Focused Charged Particle Cannon firing button.
Feeling joy at fighting someone strong, Ash quietly appeared from within the darkness and faced Wall openly.
In place of both machines giving their names, the Geno Ritter positioned its huge swords, and the newly-produced Shield Liger its Thruster Guns.
[Part Three]
The first one to move was Wall's newly-produced Shield Liger.
After taking a forward-slouching position for a moment, it kicked off from the ground with all its strength, relying on the power of its legs, and at the same time sprung upon the Geno Ritter. Dodging the Geno Ritter's swords by a hair's breadth, the newly-produced Shield Liger sliced through the armour on its left shoulder with its Strike Laser Claws.
"Nice abilities, it would be a shame to defeat you like this."
"Like that's gonna happen, my kid back home is waiting for a souvenir of my achievements. Sorry, but I'm taking you down."
While the two exchanged conversation over their comms, the Geno Ritter took all of the newly-produced Shield Liger's repeated gunshots head-on with its Electromagnetic Shield.
"Not bad! In that case, how about this!"
Wall narrowly dodged the Geno Ritter's swords, moved around and in from the side, then fired ballistic shots from its Thruster Guns!
They impacted on the Geno Ritter's Head Armour, and caused a huge explosion.
Then suddenly, the Geno Ritter began to show signs of going berserk.
The Geno Ritter's anger flowed into Ash as well, but Ash suppressed it with his mental strength.
"Calm down, Ritter!"
Within the cockpit, even while Ash endured the impact caused by the damage to the Head Armour, he tested his control with the verniers, which greatly deployed the machine that was about to go berserk, and tried to get the enemy in sight in front of his monitor.
"I see you have quite some skill... However, I'm going to take you out."
Pouring Zoidnium energy into the verniers all at once, he turned them to maximum power.
Scarlet flames spouted out of the opened verniers on its back like a cloak, tearing through the atmosphere, and cracks ran along the ground - and the next moment, the newly-produced Shield Liger's body was pierced by the Geno Ritter's swords, and it collapsed to the ground.
[Part Four]
Intending to ascertain the face of his opponent, who had been a capable man despite being his enemy, Ash walked over to the cockpit of the newly-produced Liger.
What met his eyes were Wall's corpse and a single photograph. Shown on it was the figure of a young man wearing the uniform of an elementary-level soldier, who he knew was Wall's son.
"I'm sorry, but I have a mission. There's no way I'm getting beaten yet."
Ash saluted quietly, and left that place behind him. A report reached the instructors' office at the Federation Military Academy on the western islands that the newly-produced Shield Liger had been destroyed. Zappa, of the Trap Commandos, murmured.
"Wall, how could you lose... Did he survive after all...?"
Ash and Zappa - due to the thoughts of these two, the gears of fate were about to start moving majorly----.
