Editing City Series:Volume6e Chapter4 (section)

===Part 13===

Neue Schwarz saw the white trail stretching toward the cross.

All the grass had been blasted from the riverbank to either side of the bridge.

The 30-yard-wide rut torn in Tiergarten was visible on the other side of the bridge.

Neue Schwarz spread its wings.

“I can leave the ground troops to the others while I get to the sky.”

That muttered comment received an unexpected response.

“Fly and I will shoot you down.”

A large green Heavy Barrel seemed to be straddling the path of destruction through the forest.

The two towers attached to its back were dragon breath cannons.

The pair of cannons were slowly aiming toward Neue Schwarz.

The sounds of metal coils showed the cannons were operating.

The green Heavy Barrel also aimed the Power Points installed in its forearms.

“I had everyone take shelter after I sensed an extreme ether discharge, but it was not enough.”

Tanks and AA guns were strewn about the forest.

The green Heavy Barrel was crouched in front of them. The coffin-shaped secondary cockpit on its back had risen up and its lower armor had opened up, revealing a collection of microphone-like holes. 

The black Heavy Barrel recognized that.

“A multi dragon breath cannon? You really are a mobile fortress, ‘Eisen Panzer’ Karl Schmitt.”

“I challenge you.”

“Do you have to?” sighed the black Heavy Barrel while slowly taking a fighting stance. Karl nodded.

“I will fire on you until you reach me. If you make it through that, then I will leave you be. I will resist no further. However.”

“You’re asking for an awful lot here. What more do you want?”

“I will choose the battlefield. Because I must confirm whether or not you are what you claim to be.”

“Aerial Words, huh?” whispered Neue Schwarz after hearing that.

Then it nodded.

“Fine. If that’s what you want.”

Immediately, a pair of winds rushed in from above and behind.

It was a red and a blue Heavy Barrel. Their armor had been destroyed, but their Ober Emblem remained intact as they flew over the black one’s head. They landed on either side of the green one.

“Allow us to handle-”

They were silenced by a single look from Karl.

They exchanged a glance and nodded.

They cleared the way and kneeled, but the blue one held up its rifle in both hands.

“Please take this.”

Karl responded by looking to Neue Schwarz.

“Is that alright with you?”

“With a monster like you, one more gun isn’t going to make any real difference.”

The green one laughed at that and took the rifle from the blue one.

That MP42 Heavy Barrel autocannon could perform full-auto fire of 88mm armor-piercing rounds, but even that looked like a mere handgun when held by a Heavy Barrel measuring over 20 yards tall.

Karl held the grip with the hidden arm below his right forearm and held the barrel with his usual hand.

The hand latched on with a metallic clang and the blue and red Heavy Barrels withdrew into the forest.

“Good luck.”

Karl nodded and lowered his hips.

His 20-yard-high vision had been directed straight ahead the entire time.

The black Heavy Barrel also lowered its hips a bit.

“Didn’t expect a one-on-one battle with a knight here. My second shot was supposed to be for Tristan.”

The bolt attaching the Word Rifle to the top of the secondary cockpit was released with a divine spell explosive.

The 4-yard gun briefly floated up and the extra tank on the Heavy Barrel’s back fell away.

The unneeded weapon fell to the ground behind it with a metallic clatter.

The reduction in weight on the right caused Neue Schwarz to list to the left just a bit.

But only for a moment. It spread its feet to shoulder width and adjusted its weight.

The loss of that excess weight allowed it to stand taller.

It lowered its hips and reached for the weapons at its hips.

But after a moment’s hesitation, Neue Scwharz chose only Gelegenheit on the right.

Karl nodded at the choice. Then the sounds of metal fitting together came from all over his body. It sounded like several clocks operating at once, but it was actually the many bullets being loaded.

The sounds ended after two seconds. The last one to be loaded was the 75mm cannon at the chest.

Silence followed.

The only sound was the wind blowing by overhead.

The green Heavy Barrel unintentionally leaned forward in anticipation, but then it looked to the sky.

The wind was blowing there, but past that it saw the dome and the moon.

It stared at the moon as it spoke.

“Geheimnis Agency Army Division Chief ‘Eisen Panzer’ Karl Schmitt.”

Neue Scwharz held Gelegenheit to the right with both hands.

“AIF…‘Wild Hund’ Dog Berger.”

With those words, a black blade emerged from Gelegenheit.

The black power stopped at a length of 5 yards and sliced through the wind.

Neue Schwarz didn’t even look to its blade as its vocal device spoke.

“You’re on.”