September 17, 2201 15:38 KYT Western Trench Battle Forecast. It's going to be a firefight. In some areas, it might turn into trench warfare. The chance of casualties is 5%. "Hey, Kikyou. What's the situation next door?" "It's bad. There's a high risk of the enemy breaching our position and jumping into our trenches. We can't hear the squad leader on the platoon radio, only the sergeant. It's dangerous." Kikyou, the senior sergeant of the 1111th squad, responded calmly. When the enemy gets close to the trenches, artillery support from our positions becomes impossible to avoid friendly fire. Either we would not get any support fire or, in some cases, the artillery might fire anyway, accepting the risk of hitting their own troops. War is made up of cold, calculated decisions. "If you says so, it must be true. Saika​, want to take a walk?" "Captain, are we just covering for the rookies? It's so annoying when the enemy jumps into the trench." Saika​ affirmed in a rough tone while sniping the enemys. "If you don't want to go, it's fine. I could take Suzuran instead." "Captain, I hate close-quarters combat." Suzuran clearly and calmly refused, speaking in a precise manner like an air traffic controller. "Wait, Captain. Don't be so harsh. Of course I'm coming. My blood's already boiling." "Alright, let's go. Soon, they'll be trying to breach the trench. We'll rely on artillery cover from the urban fortifications for support. Our operation progress is top-notch, and Kikyou and Suzuran can hold the line, right?" "Yes, as long as we have artillery support, we should be fine." "Got it. I'll arrange for it right away." I called headquarters while continuing to shoot. "From 1111 Unit to Headquarters. Requesting artillery support for our battle zone." "From Headquarters to 1111 Unit. Your unit's operation progress is smooth. Support is not deemed necessary." "The 1114 Unit is at risk of collapsing. I want to send two people for rescue and to secure that hole in our defences." "Understood. Maintain current position and await further orders." "Maintaining current position and awaiting orders." When I checked the battlefield map displayed on my retina, I saw that the enemy in front of the 1114 Unit was beginning to advance, indicating they were being completely overwhelmed. Indeed, my intuition was correct. "From Headquarters to 1111 Unit. We will commence artillery support for your battlefield. Support the 1114 Unit and push the enemy back." "Understood. Commencing action." I attached a bayonet to the tip of my assault rifle. The Lunarians have sharp fangs and claws, and wield razor-sharp swords. In close combat, relying on the gun is ill advised. To counter them, a bayonet is essential. Facing an enemy that employs primitive attacks, we are forced to engage in primitive combat as well. "Saika, let's go." "Understood." We both cheerfully dashed out of the trench. We started running through the narrow, zigzag trench at a speed similar to that of a car. This was possible thanks to the three time increase in muscle strength and speed from our composite armor. I confirmed via the rear camera that Saika was keeping up. The genetically engineered humans have five times the muscle strength of normal humans. In other words, if I, the biological human Koizumi, were to fight the genetically engineered Saika barehanded, i would loose for certain. Even with my composite armor tripling my muscle strength, I still wouldn't stand a chance. Genetically engineered humans were created to dominate in combat, reducing the mortality rate in battles to 5%. We ran into the trench of the 1114 Unit and immediately took positions against the side wall, starting to shoot. "Hey, hey, the cavalry is here. Be grateful, new guys." Saika greeted the members of the 1114 Unit casually. As I looked over the trench, only the subordinate created humans were shooting from the side walls. The figure of the biological squad leader, Warrant Officer Imori, was not visible. "Corporal Saika, I'll handle the talking, so could you focus on the battle? By the way, where's the new recruit squad leader?" I did not change my behaviour, simply because i was dealing with another unit. Maintaining my usual tone I asked Sergeant Kuchinawa. "Yes, Lieutenant. The squad leader is over there in the corner." Kuchinawa of the 1114th squad pointed a finger. There, crouched in the corner of the trench, was a man in composite armor, trembling slightly and curled up with his knees drawn close to his chest. Peering into the helmet, I saw through the visor a young man sloppily drooling foam from his mouth, cold sweat running from his forehead, tears flowing continuously from his eyes, and his face pale and lifeless. This doll-like soldier was wearing the insignia of a junior officer. It seemed that the virgin junior officer was experiencing a break down, resulting in the dysfunction of the squad.

I kicked the trembling junior officer with all my might. Although the muscle reinforcement was in effect, the composite armor absorbed the impact, so the person inside should be fine. "Gulg!" Rolling clumsily in the trench and making a frog-like cry, the person seemed to be in a distressed state. "Hey, Virgin Junior Officer. We will have some problems if you don't take command and fight. Could you kindly hurry up and return to your post?" The junior officer became more hunched over, and his body's trembling intensified. It seemed that my surprise kick amplified his fear. It was counterproductive. On the tactical monitor, an approach warning for the Lunarians was displayed. Should I ignore this junior officer? He's useless. Maybe I should take command. I gave up on Imori. "Everyone, switch to machine gun mode. Kick these Lunarians to the curb. Don't let them get close." "Understood." A quick response came from Saika and the 1114th squad members. While switching the assault rifle into machine gun mode means that particles of light are scattered, revealing our location, it would simply not be possible to handle the large number of approaching Lunarians by firing single shots in sniping mode. There was no other option but to suppress the enemies this way. The Lunarians only have close combat as their means of attack, which is their only saving grace. If they are not allowed to approach, they won't pose a threat. In the current situation, I decided that it’s better to reliably reduce the number of enemies through area suppression rather than fearing being discovered. I stuck to the trench walls and continued to fire my machine gun. The approaching Lunarians were easily riddled with bullets, piling up into a mountain of corpses. With Iwakram, there's no need to worry about running out of bullets. Just keep pulling the trigger. The Lunarians' advance on the tactical monitor was gradually being worn down. Apparently, the pushback was successful. However, the enemy's focus on their position was increasing. Because our location had been compromised it seemed as though they would concentrate their forces on us. Once the enemy would finish rearranging their formation, they would likely launch an attack immediately. But I remained calm. Headquarters is not incompetent. And I have reliable people around. They will likely make the same situational judgment from the tactical monitor as me. When the enemy's density has reached its peak, a simultaneous bombardment will be let loose. Thus I did not request additional support from the artillery. A few minutes later, as anticipated, the artillery commenced a concentrated bombardment on the area with the heaviest enemy presence. A deluge of light unleashed chaos, gradually diminishing the enemy ranks. Enemy reinforcements were cut off, and the estimated enemy forces on the tactical monitor dwindled to three hundred. The operational progress rate of the 1114th squad was starting to increase rapidly, but it was still far from average. Next, I checked how the 1111th squad was doing, but there was no need to worry about anything. They were successfully increasing our progress rate. Humans would judge a loss of as much as 30% as a complete defeat and retreat. However, the Lunarians did not stop attacking until the enemy was completely wiped out. Conversely, the Lunarians who survived up to this point were likely to be individuals of great strength. The real deal started now, and we had to stay focused. As expected, four light dots rapidly approached the trench where I was located, and the tactical monitor issued a warning. "Four enemies are coming. Reduce their numbers, even by one. I leave that to the 1114th squad." "Roger." "Saika, it's time to engage with the enemy. Let's get physical!" "Understood. I will make sure to thoroughly defeat them." Saika grinned slyly. Moving her assault rifle to her back, she drew two bayonets from her waist, and held them in a reverse grip. I checked my bayonet on the assault rifle once again. We would face the Lunarians with my bayonet and Saikas dual-wielding skills. "Lieutenant, two of them have broken through. We have ten seconds until engaging the enemy." Sergeant Kuchinawa of the 1114th squad reported. I confirmed the report on the tactical monitor. There were two approaching light points. It seemed that two out of the four Lunarians had already been defeated. Well done for a rookie squad. "Roger that. Leave those two to us and don't let the barrage stop." "Understood." At the same time as the sergeant's response, two shadows danced into the trench. I intercepted the rabbit girl's longsword with my bayonet, before she could attempt to stab a private from behind. Saika kicked the werewolf away the moment it jumped at her, but it defended itself well. "Hehehe. So the little dog is my opponent, huh? I'll send you to heaven right away." Saika quickly closed the distance and attacked the werewolf. The high-pitched sound of claws clashing with the knives began to echo in the trench. Meanwhile, I entered a deadlock with the rabbit girl while staring at each other. Despite the lunar people having three times the physical strength of Earthlings, the use of composite armor had evened out the playingfield, resulting in comparable power and speed. You could set the amplification rate of the composite armor even higher, but there were detrimental effects such as muscle rupture and bone fractures. The human body simply could not withstand such forces. Therefore, the current standard was fixed at three times increase. In order to benefit humanity, the engineered species are endowed with a robust body capable of withstanding a fivefold increase from birth. The appearance of the lunar people is mostly similar to humans except for the head. In addition their head, face, chest, back, groin, and buttocks are covered with animal hair, and they do not wear clothes. This animal hair posed a challenge.

The resistance to conventional weapons and the difficulty in finding weak points due to the thick animal hair covering vital areas made it challenging to deal with the lunar people. Energy weapons, such as assault rifle lasers, easily penetrated it, making it crucial to maintain distance. Pistols, lacking energy amplification devices, required several light bullets just to remove the hair. The facial features are significantly different from those of Earthlings. The females known as "Rabbits" have faces resembling a cross between humans and rabbits, with short rabbit-like ears on top of their heads. They have nothing where normal human ears would be. They are covered in animal hair and do not have tails. The lunar female, being inferior in physical strength to the males, compensates for it by using a longsword. The male lunar people, the werewolfs, have a face that is a cross between a human and a wolf. They are stronger than the Rabbits and possess sharp fangs and claws. Their fingers are thick for slashing, making their rough hands unsuited for wielding weapons. Why there was such a stark difference in appearance between males and females, and how traits were inherited by their offspring, were questions that were barely understood. What was clear, however, were their physical characteristics, bodily abilities, and extreme ferocity. The werewolfs refrained from using handheld weapons, likely due to confidence in their physical strength, and instead attacked with its own fangs and claws. Its attack patterns were limited to biting, scratching, and striking, making it easier to handle than the Rabbits. Normally, the combat with the Lunarians is left to the genetically engineered people, while the biological ones provide support from the rear. The genetically engineered people overwhelm the Lunarians with their physical abilities. It is sensible for the biological humans, who only achieve combat abilities equivalent to the lunar people by wearing composite armor, to engage in combat. However, I often prioritized my own hobbies and engaged in combat frequently as a result. I tilted the assault rifle, deflected the force, and created distance from the Rabbit. I used this moment to reassess the situation. On the left side monitor, the 1114th squad is laying down a barrage to keep the enemies at bay, while the right side monitor displays the standoff between Saika and the werewolf. The tactical monitor did not reveal any new enemy presence. Satisfied with the situation, I devote myself completly to the Rabbit. My composed mind became even clearer and filled with tranquility. My senses sharpened, allowing me to take in the surrounding situation through mere intuition, without relying on the tactical monitor. Saika continued to deflect the werewolf's sharp claws repeatedly with dual-wielded bayonets. Even though Lunarians are three times stronger than natural species, their movements are slow compared to Saika, who was a speed-focused model. She was breed to fight Lunarians. Effortlessly dodging the werewolf's slash, Saika severed its right hand with a bayonet. Fresh red blood spurted out from the wound. Even Lunarians had red blood. ― If their blood were blue or green, they'd look more like aliens. ― Saika thought, every time she cut a Lunarian. She was superior in both speed and strength. There was nothing that could lead to her defeat. The werewolf seemed to have proper pain perception and howled while pressing on its wound. His defense was full of openings. It seemed like he had given up on fighting. Saika quickly slipped over to the werewolf's less hairy side and thrusted her left-hand bayonet upward. The tip of the sword found the heart. Feeling the heartbeat through the bayonet, she pierced it all the way through and, at the same time, forced the right-hand bayonet into the werewolf's mouth. When staying close, it is essential to seal off their mouth, or you risk your neck getting bitten off by their fangs. Saika pushed further with her left bayonet to widen the wound and ensure the full destruction of body tissue. The heartbeat she had felt through the bayonet soon disappeared, and the full weight of the werewolf collapsed heavily onto her. She pulled out the bayonet and simultaneously pushed the werewolf to the ground. Utilizing that momentum, she placed her weight on the bayonet that was stuck in his mouth and cleanly cut through to the back of his head. The werewolf's head was split in two and rolled to the corner of the trench toward the virgin junior officer, who was crouching down. His eyes met those of the werewolf's head. "Eek! W-w-w-wolf... wolf..." He screamed in an inarticulate voice and fainted. "What the hell? Fainting just from making eye contact with a corpse. This guy isn't suited for the military. In contrast, our captain constantly fights Lunarians in hand-to-hand combat. Other leaders would leave it to us fast-focused models. He's quite the eccentric." "My apologies for being eccentric, Saika." "Ah, you heard that. But there's no denying you have strange tastes." I skillfully used the assault rifle to parry the rabbit woman's long sword. "It's a hobby of mine. It really gets my blood pumping." "Got it. Hurry up and finish it already. I'm going back to shooting." With that said, Saika clung to the side wall of the trench and began to mow down the enemies. "You seem healthy and strong. Alright then, I wonder how much of my attack you'll be able to withstand." I suddenly became more adept at using the assault rifle. With no need to support Saika, I shifted my focus to the nearby enemy. Deflecting the rabbit woman's longsword with a forceful motion, in the moment she lost her balance, I slammed the buttstock into her solar plexus. The rabbit woman lost consciousness from the impact and collapsed on the spot. Even with sturdy animal fur, it was impossible to absorb blunt force. I kicked the longsword far away. Slowly approaching, I lightly poked the rabbit woman with my bayonet to check if she was pretending, but there was no reaction. It seemed she had truly lost consciousness. "What's this? Were your muscles just for show? How disappointing. I'm iching for a real challenge." I turned on the power of a high-voltage laser on my bayonet. It glowed a reddish-brown color from the heat. "Well then, goodbye." My bayonet, which had been deflected by the sturdy fur, easily pierced through and stabbed the rabbit woman's heart. Headquarters wasn't foolish. They equipped the bayonets on their rifles with high-voltage lasers, preparing a method to neutralize the fur of the Lunarians. I simply chose not to turn on the power intentionally, in order to enjoy the fight more. Upon checking the tactical monitor, the combined effect of the bombardment had caused the enemy's salient to be dented. Squad 1114's operation progress rate had exceeded the average value, and they were steadily whittling down the enemy. It seemed we had avoided the collapse of the front line. The estimated remaining enemy forces had fallen below a hundred. Soon, the enemy would be annihilated. I decided that it was fine to continue fighting in this trench until the end without returning to our positions. I clung to the side wall of the trench and resumed firing in burst mode with the machine gun. I wore a dissatisfied expression. The close combat did not achieve my expectations today.