The Slave Heroine Appears! Part 3

The steel giant’s body was so immense that it even dwarfed the ogre straddling Golferani, its colossal frame towering above all.

Its entire form was dyed in a vibrant colour scheme dominated by fierce shades of red, as if the very essence of battle had been painted upon its metal skin.

Her name was Kamiya.

One of the three legendary humanoid modules that “Mamiya” boasted of, and the saviour who had rushed to this place in their darkest hour!

“Oh…”

Ooga muttered, her eyes widening slightly at the sight before her.

However, even in the face of the giant warrior who had triumphed over the mighty dragon species, the look of unwavering composure never left Ooga’s battle-hardened visage.

“Kenshi– Kamiya. Are you trying to obstruct my path to supremacy?”

‘Rao– Ooga. I cannot overlook your lawlessness.’

The two, who for some inexplicable reason almost mispronounced each other’s names, quietly faced one another, the tension between them palpable in the air. Kamiya, being a robot, possessed no discernible facial expressions, but from her uncharacteristic manner of speaking, one could sense the unwavering fighting spirit that burned within her mechanical heart.

As proof of the sheer intensity of their impending clash, one need only observe the very space between the two warriors… did it not appear to warp and distort under the weight of their combined fighting spirits?

A robot and a human… One a being of cold steel and circuitry, the other a creature of flesh and blood… One an ancient warrior from a bygone age, the other a hero born into the modern world… Kamiya and Ooga’s circumstances couldn’t have been more different, their paths seemingly never destined to intertwine. Yet, as they stood facing each other, an undeniable sense of shared destiny and an unbreakable bond could be felt, transcending the boundaries of mere logic and reason.

Perhaps even the heavens themselves bore witness to this fateful encounter… for even though it was still the light of day, seven stars that had never been seen before suddenly appeared in the sky above, their celestial light casting an ethereal glow upon the battlefield below. It was as if the very gods were holding their divine breath, waiting to see the outcome of this earth-shattering confrontation.

Upon closer inspection, it became apparent that there were more than just seven stars illuminating the heavens… smaller, twinkling lights could be seen dancing around them, their presence a mystery that lingered in the back of one’s mind.

“Very well… I will accept your challenge!”

Perhaps realizing that a mere staring contest would accomplish nothing, Ooga dismounted from Golferani’s back and stood on the ground, casually tossing aside her helmet as she did so.

“Hmph!”

And in that moment, as if in response to Ooga’s burning passion…

*Zumomomomomom!*

“…She kind of grew giant, but?”

I muttered in disbelief, my eyes widening at the sight before me.

“Can’t you tell?”

Eve replied, her voice as calm and emotionless as ever.

“The tremendous fighting spirit that Ooga is emanating is creating the illusion that she has grown to gigantic proportions.”

I glanced over at Eve, who had somehow appeared by my side without me noticing. Despite her usual stoic demeanour, I could have sworn that her hair was changing colours more rapidly than ever before, its hues shifting and glowing in a mesmerizing display of chromatic brilliance. Was this a sign of her own excitement at the impending battle?

“Yeah, but you know…”

“Her shadow is forming normally, isn’t it?”

“It’s an optical illusion.”

“But still…”

“It’s an illusion.”

“…Okay,”

I sighed, realizing that there was no point in trying to debate the matter further.

In the end, regardless of the logic behind it, the fact remained that Ooga had somehow grown to a colossal size… and now, she and Kamiya stood as equals upon the battlefield, their towering forms casting long shadows across the war-torn landscape.

*Koooooo…!* Kamiya roared, the sound echoing forth from deep within her mechanical chest.

I couldn’t help but wonder what the point of a robot making such a noise was… but as Kamiya shifted into a fighting stance, regulating her breathing in a strangely human-like manner, she began to tap her feet upon the ground in a rhythmic pattern. *Ton, ton* *ton, ton* *ton, ton*…

“That stance…!?”

I gasped, my eyes widening in recognition.

At first glance, it might have seemed like Kamiya was simply engaging in some sort of pre-battle ritual… but I knew better. This was no mere display of showmanship… no, this was a secret technique that hinted at a deeper story, a hidden tale waiting to be revealed. Perhaps in some distant spin-off, with the previous generation taking center stage, the true nature of this mysterious stance would finally come to light…

*Nuuuuuuuun…!* Ooga growled, her voice low and guttural.

In contrast to Kamiya’s fluid motions, Ooga remained as still as a mountain, her arms thrust outward in a deceptively simple stance. Yet, even to the untrained eye, it was clear that there were no openings to be found, no weaknesses to exploit… she was a fortress made of flesh, an impenetrable wall of raw power and skill.

If Kamiya’s fighting style could be likened to the swift and nimble strikes of a bird of prey, then Ooga’s was the unyielding might of a great bear… two diametrically opposed forces, each the perfect counter to the other.

‘……………’

Kamiya stared at Ooga, her mechanical eyes unblinking.

“……………”

Ooga met her gaze, her own eyes blazing with barely contained fury.

The steel giant and the warrior goddess stood locked in a silent battle of wills, each waiting for the other to make the first move… and then, with a sudden burst of speed that defied all logic and reason, Kamiya attacked!

*Atatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatata!*

Her fists rained down upon Ooga like a hail of meteors, each blow aimed with impossible precision and speed. To the untrained eye, it looked like little more than a blur of motion and afterimages… but to Ooga, it was a test of her skills, a challenge to be met head-on.

*Muuuuuuuuuuuuun!*

Ooga roared, her own hands moving with a swiftness that rivalled Kamiya’s own. Palm strike after palm strike lashed out, meeting each of Kamiya’s blows with an equal and opposite force, the resulting shockwaves causing the very air around them to tremble and quake.

*Oataaa!*

*Fuun!*

The two warriors threw themselves at each other with reckless abandon, their right arms cocked back in preparation for a final, devastating blow. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as they passed each other in mid-air, their fists mere inches away from connecting…

In that frozen moment, the outcome of the battle was decided. Ooga’s fist found its mark, slamming into Kamiya’s chest with the force of a runaway train… and the mechanical warrior’s right arm, which had withstood the fury of the dragon species without so much as a scratch, shattered like glass under the impact.

“Huh?”

I blinked, my brain struggling to process what I was seeing.

The severed limb hurtled through the air, its trajectory carrying it straight towards… me?

“Ah.”

Eve said, her voice as calm as ever.

‘Ah’

Kamiya echoed, her own voice tinged with what almost sounded like resignation.

“Muu…”

Ooga grunted, her eyes narrowing as she watched the arm’s flight.

And as the world around me began to fade away, replaced by the oncoming rush of shorn metal and sparking wires, I heard the voices of my companions ringing in my ears… a final, fleeting moment of clarity before everything went black.

“I’m coming in~.”

The familiar phrase echoed through my mind, a strange non sequitur that jolted me back to awareness with a start.

I found myself standing in the middle of a desolate wasteland, the ground beneath my feet cracked and barren. In the distance, I could see the ruins of some long-forgotten civilization jutting up from the earth like the bones of a fallen giant… and in the midst of it all, a familiar figure caught my eye.

“Hyahha! Water!”

My grandfather, Lombard XVII, stood atop a pile of rubble, a fierce grin splitting his weathered face. He was dressed in a strange outfit, his hair styled into a mohawk and his shoulders adorned with spiked pads.

As I watched in disbelief, he lifted a battered metal canteen to his lips and tilted his head back, pouring the precious liquid over his head in a gesture of pure, savage joy. The water cascaded down his face and neck, mingling with the dirt and grime that caked his skin… a portrait of a man who had lost everything and yet still clung to life with a manic, desperate energy.

It was a scene straight out of a post-apocalyptic fever dream… and as I stood there, watching my ancestor revel in his own madness, I couldn’t help but wonder what dark future awaited us all.

“Huh!? A dream!?”

I jolted awake with a start, my heart pounding in my chest like a drum.

I found myself back in my own room aboard the “Mamiya,” the familiar surroundings a welcome sight after the nightmarish visions that had haunted my sleep. I glanced down at my body, half-expecting to find myself covered in wounds… but to my relief, there was not a scratch to be seen.

“I see…”

I muttered, shaking my head slowly.

“No, that’s right… There’s no way such a huge woman could exist in this world.”

I climbed out of bed and stretched my arms above my head, marvelling at how light and refreshed my body felt. It was as if I had been reborn anew, my muscles and joints moving with a fluidity and ease that I had never known before.

“But man, what a weird dream.”

“I mean, if there really was someone out there who was stronger than Kamiya… stronger than a freaking dragon… then no matter how bad things got in the future, we could just sit back and let them handle it, right? There’s no way the powers that be would ever allow something like that.”

I shook my head again, trying to clear the lingering remnants of the dream from my mind.

“Alright!”

I said, forcing a grin onto my face.

“Now that I’m all rested up, what do you say we go for a little walk outside?”

And with that, I strode out of my room and onto the ship’s main deck, ready to face whatever new challenges the day might bring.

The hidden village’s rural landscape stretched out before me, a patchwork quilt of green fields and rolling hills that seemed to go on forever. The sun was shining brightly overhead, and a gentle breeze carried the sweet scent of growing things on its currents.

“Just look at that sky!”

“Now that’s what I call perfect weather for a little bit of good old-fashioned rice farming!”

*Hyahha!*

As if in response to my words, a fierce battle cry suddenly split the air… and as I turned to look, I saw Ooga and the Mohawk Underlings standing in the middle of a nearby field, their fists raised in a gesture of triumph and defiance.

“Damn iiiiiiiiiiit!”