I couldn't stop laughing as I gripped the control stick.
This is itâthis is it.
Overwhelming the enemy with sheer power.
Moreover, the enemy is pirates.
I felt a sense of intoxication from overpowering these kinds of people, who reminded me of the scary debt collectors from my previous life.
I had switched from being the one who gets taken to the one who takes.
This filled my heart with satisfaction.
Larger than a regular mobile knight, Avi continued to defeat the pirates one after another, drawing a crowd of enemies.
"Get out of my way!"
When I pulled the trigger, several magic arrays appeared around Avi.
Weapons stored in spatial magic revealed themselves.
Missiles were launched from the missile pods, pursuing the enemies. The enemies who swarmed around tried to escape, but they were caught and exploded.
Then, a few pirate mobile knights emerged from the explosions.
Their movements were different from the others.
"Are these pirate knights?"
They were originally knights who became pirates for various reasons, and they were called pirate knights.
Most of them were bodyguards or executives for pirate groups, and knights were valuable assets even to pirates.
The shields mounted on both shoulders blocked the enemies' beams and lasers.
A spherical energy field enveloped the mobile knight, preventing any attacks from reaching Avi.
Even when hit by solid bullets, Avi's armor deflected them.
"Isn't this cheating! âOops."
I avoided the pirate knights who switched to close combat weapons like blades, as even Avi would be damaged by knight attacks.
I didn't want Avi to get scratched like a new car, so I avoided them.
You know, it's annoying when something new gets scratched.
I threw away the bazooka, took out a rifle, and fired, but the enemy also dodged.
"They're different from regular pirates. Butâtoo easy!"
As Avi passed by the approaching pirate mobile knight, it was bisected.
"Good reaction."
I continued to cut down the pirate mobile knights who attacked me with their blades.
With a rising cut, a diagonal cut, and a sweeping cut, the enemies exploded as I swung my blade.
One of them blocked my attack with its blade.
However, it charged at Avi, challenging it in a power struggle.
The contact allowed me to hear the enemy's voice.
"Youâwhat did you do! What school are you from!"
Most knights learn a school of martial arts, as it is the foundation of their training.
But the enemy was confused, not knowing my school.
The best-moving mobile knight among the pirate knights.
I was interested and engaged in conversation.
"It's the Issen School. My master is Anshi. Don't you know?"
"How would I know such a school! You're just a minor sword user getting cocky! I've never heard of your master's name either!"
Angry, I discarded the rifle and crushed the pirate knight's head with my left hand.
"Minor? FineâI'll crush you and spread the name of the Issen School!"
After destroying the enemy with just my left arm, I directed Avi towards a nearby pirate ship.
The boosters flared, and as Avi accelerated, beams of light attacked it one after another.
I pushed through the rain of optical weapons, broke through the armor of the pirate ship, and entered it.
I continued to destroy everything, causing an explosion.
â
Gores watched as a black mobile knight emerged unscathed from the explosion.
"Whatâwhat is that! Who is it? Who is the knight in that mobile knight!"
He thought it must be a named knight, a knight with a reputation.
He thought they had brought out a large, old mobile knight, but the pirate knights were defeated without a fight.
Gores was sweating and panicking.
"Why would a named knight be hereâ"
But his subordinate was shocked by a report from a subordinate.
"Captain! The knight in that mobile knight is the head of the Banfield family! Liam Sera Banfield himself!"
"What!?"
Gores trembled with anger at the report.
"You paid a high price for bodyguards, and they lost to a single kid. The mobile knights you gave them weren't cheap either!"
The pirate knights he had paid a high price for.
The mobile knights he had given them were models procured from black market merchants, adopted by interstellar nations.
Though their appearance had been modified, they were still superior to the mobile knights used by regular pirates. It was unbelievable that they couldn't stand up to the enemy.
"âIf the captain is here, it's convenient. Surround and crush him! Idiot. To rush out for glory, you're still a kid."
In front of his subordinates, Gores put on a brave front.
Pirates, even Gores, couldn't trust other pirates.
The more there were, the more dangerous it became.
If he thought he couldn't win, the likelihood of Gores being betrayed was high.
He sat in his chair, showing confidence, and the pirates began to swarm around Liam's mobile knight.
Butâ
"What!!"
Gores was shocked, his mouth agape.
The pirates who swarmed around Liam were being cut down in an instant.
Just getting close to Liam caused explosions.
The pirate ship was bisected, and it felt like a dream.
(Impossible! No matter how strong a knight is, this is abnormal. What is he? What is he!)
He couldn't believe it.
Liam continued straight towards Gores' flagship.
Pushing through the pirate ships, the allies who tried to shoot him down began to attack each other.
"Idiots! Stop them immediately! Let the mobile knights handle it."
The pirates were in a panic over Liam.
But Liam wasn't the only enemy.
The subordinate shouted.
"Captain! The enemy is charging at us!"
The enemy, following Liam, was in a conical formation, breaking through the scattered pirates.
Their high level of training and lack of disorder caused confusion among the pirates.
Gores slammed his fist on the armrest of his chair.
"Useless scum!"
Though the pirate group had many former soldiers, most hadn't received proper training.
Once they were at a disadvantage, they easily collapsed.
Gores thought.
(The tide is bad. If I lose, I might as well escape and go into hiding. I was thinking the group had become too big anyway.)
Being the leader of a large pirate group was attractive, but managing the pirates had become troublesome.
Thinking of going into hiding, Gores called his subordinate.
In a low voice,
"We're escaping. Only call the ones you trust. The rest can be abandoned."
The subordinate, surprised, quickly nodded.
"Understood."
The flagship Gores was on began to move, and the surrounding escort ships followed.
(If I escape, I'll send assassins after the kid. I have this. I can start over anytime.)
Gripping the alchemy box tightly, the subordinate shouted.
"What's wrong! Hurry up and escape!"
The pirate in charge of steering responded.
"The allies are in the way, we can't escape!"
The subordinate hit the subordinate.
"Then destroy them and move! Hurry, the enemy is almost here!"
At a disadvantage, the subordinate, who wanted to escape quickly, took an action he would never normally take.
Why did he do it?
âSimply because he was afraid of Liam, who was approaching.
The pirates were terrified of Liam, who couldn't be stopped.
Andâ
'Got it.'
âThe flagship shook violently.
Liam's Avi had landed on the ship.
â
I spotted the enemy flagship trying to escape and attacked it.
Landing on the ship, I destroyed the turrets targeting Avi.
"Even pirates hesitate to attack the captain's ship."
The pirates hesitated to attack the flagship, so I walked boldly on top of it.
"Escape pods are probably there, right?"
I attacked with the rifle, blocking the escape routes.
"It's too late to try to escape now. I'll tell you who you messed with. Then, all your treasures will be mine!"
I carefully blocked the escape routes, and the pirates began to flee.
When my allies finally caught up, they asked for instructions over a noisy communication line.
"Lord, are you safe!"
"Counterattack. Leave a thousand ships, and chase the rest. Don't let them escape. No surrender. Crush them completely!"
"Understood!"
The allies pursued the fleeing pirates.
In space, a pursuit battle was the best way to defeat the enemy.
When the allied ships docked with the enemy flagship, they prepared to send in ground troops.
I entered the mobile knight hangar by forcing open the hatch.
A mobile knight with a bazooka attacked, but it couldn't destroy Avi.
"Ah, got dirty."
Seeing Avi almost unscathed, the pirates attacked out of fear.
Even pirates in space suits with rifles attacked.
"Out of the way."
A part of Avi's armor opened, and a laser was fired, eliminating the pirates.
The mobile knights were cut down, and when the resistance stopped, I put on my helmet.
The pilot suit also served as a combat suitâpowered armor.
I attached the blade to my waist, took the rifle, and disembarked from Avi, boarding the pirate ship.
"Let's go treasure hunting."
Then, the allies' small ships entered the hangar one after another.
The ground troops disembarked and gathered around me.
The soldiers in combat-powered armor were all taller and more intimidating than me.
It was fun to see them, who were so imposing, be polite to me.
"Lord Liam, we have come to escort you."
However, they seemed to intend to take me back.
"I refuse. You come with me."
"It's dangerous! We've secured the power plant, but if the enemy self-destructsâ"
"A coward who's trying to escape won't self-destruct. Come on, hurry up."
Leading the reluctant ground troops, I entered the ship.
The ground troops, wearing bulkier powered armor, surrounded me.
The inside of the pirate ship was cleaner than I expected.
With gravity control disabled, we walked in zero gravity.
Special boots allowed us to walk in zero gravity.
"Surprisingly clean."
"Lord Liam, don't go forward recklessly!"
As I moved forward, my senses detected hostility, and I stopped everyone.
"Hey, they're hiding. âThere."
At a corner in the corridor.
I sensed someone waiting there.
Simultaneously, I detected the presence of a pirate hiding on the ceiling.
A subordinate fired at the ceiling with a rifle, creating a hole.
Red blood floated out in droplets, indicating the pirate was defeated.
The subordinate reported to me.
"They were wearing a suit that didn't show up on the sensors. It's hard to believe pirates have such expensive equipment."
The equipment was very expensive.
This meant there was potential.
"Good. Let's continue the treasure hunt. Come on."
The pirates in the corridor ahead were dealt with by the ground troops, so we moved forward.
We reached a large corridor.
There, waiting for us, were pirate knights in powered armor.
"Reckless!"
They attacked us with their blades.
"Protect Lord Liam!"
I pushed back the subordinates who tried to step forward.
"Not necessary."
I ignored the pirate knights and walked forward.
The subordinates were confused, so I turned back and said,
"What are you doing? Hurry up."
The pirate knights who leaped at us hit the walls and floors, their bodies disintegrating.
"Lord Liam, what did you do?"
To the puzzled subordinates, I said coldly,
"I cut them."
Even now, I haven't reached my master's level.
That level of swordsmanship, where you can't even tell if the sword was drawnâwhere you can't tell if it was a cutâwas still beyond me.
I still vividly remember it, but compared to my master, my current swordsmanship is like a child's play.
The ground troops fell silent.
Yes, fear me.
Fear and revere me, your lord!
â
A ground troop soldier watched Liam's back as he walked ahead.
Wearing a powered suit, Liam looked a bit larger.
But his back looked even largerâmore magnificent.
"He's so calm against such knights."
Usually, when soldiers encounter knights, they lament their misfortune.
The difference in power is so great, but if they have a reliable knight on their side, they feel fortunate.
A colleague said to the soldier,
"He hasn't even reached adulthood, yet he has a license to teach. Our lord might actually be amazing."
Liam's administrative skills were highly regarded from the beginning.
But his military skills were not.
Since he hadn't reached adulthood, he hadn't received military training.
There was no way to evaluate him.
"Yeah, it's unbelievable how strong he is. Maybe we're soldiers for someone incredible?"
The soldiers from the Banfield family's territory.
They had never left, so they didn't know how amazing Liam was.