Chapter 287 Death Match ①
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Then, I’m counting on you…!” Satsuki said.
”Yeah, just leave it to me!” the driver replied.
Satsuki, a Royal Mage, called out to the driver of the carriage hauling the Ddo-Buddy Cannon¹. He was the same man who had handled the reins so masterfully in the previous clash. Finding strength in his reliability, she fought to steady her breath and the frantic drumming in her chest.
Since the last skirmish, Satsuki and her team had performed a rapid field-service on the Ddo-Buddy Cannon. Fortunately, the circuits hadn’t sustained any critical damage despite the massive load; some cooling and quick patches had sufficed.
The only real complication was Marsetta. The burns the senior mage sustained while manning the barrel were far worse than they’d thought. Though she’d received treatment, she was strictly forbidden from operating the weapon again. Holy magic could stitch the skin and erase the external scars, but it couldn’t undo the internal trauma.
In this world, they called it “Neural Shock²“-a total systemic collapse. The inflammatory cascade and the lingering adrenaline spike left her in no state for combat. If she pushed herself that hard again, there was no telling if her heart would simply give out.
’This is no time to be worrying about that…!’ Marsetta thought.
”No, Marsetta! There’s a difference between being prepared to die and just throwing your life away!” Satsuki shouted.
”I’m with her,” Kushe added. “Maru-maru, logic aside, it’s a huge pain if you pass out in the middle of a fight.”
Chastised by Kushe, a Mage of Coalmine, Marsetta gave a reluctant nod and moved to handle the Testicular Circuit³ instead. Honestly, both Satsuki and Kushe wanted her away from the cannon entirely, but no one else knew how to run the damn thing.
In the end, it was settled: Marsetta and Kushe would man the Testicular Circuit, while Satsuki took over the primary barrel. They’d considered letting Kushe aim, but he had demurred.
”If I’m the one pulling the trigger, the grunts won’t trust it,” Kushe said. “Who wants to bet their life on a guy like me at the eleventh hour? Sorry, Satsuki, but you’re up.”
By Kushe’s own admission, the burden fell to Satsuki. As the carriage lurched forward, she rested her right hand on the cold metal of the barrel, her eyes locked on the horizon where the dragons loomed.
Their scale was impossible, massive enough to break one’s sense of perspective. Two Great Dragons, Zil Meina and Ur Hamit, drifted through the clouds, attended by a swarming cloud of Lesser Dragons.
Satsuki realized her hand was shaking. She raised her left hand and pressed a soft kiss to her ring. ‘When you look at this, remember I’m telling you I love you.’ His voice resonated in the hollow of her chest.
”Hey now, if you get all mushy on us, I’m gonna lose my edge,” Kushe teased.
”I-I wasn’t being mushy!” Satsuki stammered.
”I don’t know, it was pretty hard to watch,” Marsetta joined in.
”Not you too, Marsetta!” Satsuki cried.
Satsuki’s face flared red under their teasing. The banter helped; the shared jokes acted as a buffer against the violent rattling of the carriage. Then again, it was hard to stay solemn when the weapon they were manning looked like a cosmic practical joke.
”But seriously,” Kushe said. “I’ve got a reward waiting for me back home, so I can’t go dying yet. It’s going to be hell, but if we fight like our lives depend on it, we’ll pull through.”
”Stop saying ‘die’ so much… Ku-chan, haven’t you heard of jinxing it?” Marsetta asked.
”Never heard of it. Besides, Maru-maru, you just said it twice. Is that safe?” Kushe replied.
”You definitely know what I’m talking about!” Marsetta snapped.
”Honestly, both of you… you’re not children…” Satsuki muttered.
They might have been a bit too relaxed, but as the shadows of the beasts drew closer, the chatter died away. The carriage wove through the sparse treeline, using the small groves for cover. Other carriages flanked them, carrying mages and holy casters. They were the shield-corps, tasked with protecting the cannon at all costs. Sister Amelia was among them, her face set in prayer.
Further out, the vanguard moved in the same formation they’d used to break the stampede. Perhaps sensing the apex predators above, the lesser monsters had vanished from the ground, making the terrain much easier to traverse.
”Next! Into that grove over there!” shouted Martin PopolCount.
As the leader of the Pink Clan, Martin navigated the shifting battlefield in tight coordination with Slop, leader of the dog-beastmen. Truthfully, there was no telling if they were actually hidden from the eyes in the sky. But if the dragons turned their malice toward them, these scouts would be the first to feel it.
Riding just behind was General Oromanso, the bear-beastman commanding the operation. At his side, Mother Marian rode with her generous chest swaying to the rhythm of the gallop.
”I simply adore the horse you lent me~♡” Marian cooed.
”Think nothing of it,” Oromanso replied. “Your holy magic is worth ten knights. I’m just maximizing our survival rate.”
”Fufu, well then, I’ll just have to make sure I don’t disappoint you~♡” Marian said.
”It’s a fine, well-trained stallion,” Oromanso added. “Use him well. I don’t care if you run him into the ground.”
”Saying such cold things, and yet your ears are drooping~♡?” Marian teased.
”Hmph… ignore that. Just focus,” Oromanso grunted.
Every soldier was wound tight. Some thought of the families they’d left behind; others dreamed of the victory feast. A few simply felt the nagging regret that they hadn’t trained just a little bit harder.
The supply train had been left behind. Those wounded in the first clash stayed behind as guards. This group was stripped down to pure lethality. Their only hope of seeing tomorrow was to win this fight and return to the rear.
They were close now. They slipped beneath the wings of a patrolling Lesser Dragon. It either didn’t see them or didn’t care. They were seconds away from the effective range. The jokes stopped. A heavy, suffocating silence descended over the unit.
”Now! Into the trees!!! Get under cover!!!” Martin ordered.
On his command, the group vanished into the treeline, holding their collective breath. They had to wait for the window-wait for Zil Meina to bank low, and wait for the cannon to reach full charge.
”Is this spot good?!” a messenger asked.
”It’s perfect! We’re beginning the sequence now!” Marsetta replied.
Marsetta placed her palms against the Testicular Circuit. Kushe joined her, flooding the system with mana while Satsuki aligned the sights.
God, it was huge. Looking up at the dragon made Satsuki’s neck ache. They moved with such terrifying grace. Could they really bring that god-like thing down? They had to.
She kissed her ring one last time. No one teased her this time.
”Maru-maru, how high are we cranking it?” Kushe whispered.
”Let’s see… we need enough to blow a hole through that hussy, but save enough for a second and third follow-up,” Marsetta replied.
”Kukuku, ‘that hussy,’ huh? I like it. Hardest part’s going to be the calibration, though…” Kushe said.
They whispered while making micro-adjustments. After the endless live-fire drills back in the Capital, they knew the absolute breaking point of the Testicular Circuit.
”If we want a kill-shot, it has to be the chest,” Marsetta said.
”Agreed,” Kushe replied. “Even for a beast that size, the heart’s in the same place. Go for center mass.”
”I’ll aim to hollow out her chest, then swirl the blast around to turn her insides to jelly,” Satsuki added.
”Understood. I’ll do it,” Marsetta said.
They waited for Zil Meina to drift into the kill-zone. ‘Please, don’t let the small ones spot us.’ The roar of wind from the wings above was deafening. Satsuki’s heart began to beat like a war drum.
Thump-thump. Thump-thump. She couldn’t tell if the sound was in her chest or rattling her skull. Then, finally, the moment arrived.
”Zil Meina is in range,” the messenger signaled.
”Yeah, I’m ready,” Kushe whispered.
”System’s green,” Marsetta said.
”Okay… counting down from ten…” Satsuki said.
Satsuki’s voice trembled. The messenger relayed the signal. The moment the Ddo-Buddy fired, the real hell-the pursuit and the slaughter-would begin. This was just the beginning. First Zil Meina, then Ur Hamit. Then the swarms. Satsuki visualized the flow of battle, focusing every ounce of her will on the target.
”Ten… nine… eight… seven…”
Her mouth was bone-dry. A thick, unpleasant stickiness coated her tongue.
”Six… five… four…”
Her palms were slick with sweat against the metal barrel. She shifted her grip carefully, terrified it would slip.
”Three… two…”
Her stomach twisted into a cold, hard knot.
”One…”
The three of them drew a sharp, synchronized breath as the mana surged through the Ddo-Buddy Cannon. And then…
—
Summary:
Satsuki, Marsetta, and Kushe prepare to use the ‘Ddo-Buddy Cannon’ against the Great Dragons Zil Meina and Ur Hamit. Despite Marsetta’s severe injuries, the team positions themselves in a forest to ambush the dragons as they bank low. The chapter ends with a high-tension countdown as they charge the cannon for a devastating heart-shot.
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Trivia:
- Marsetta is technically forbidden from fighting due to ‘Neural Shock’.
- Kushe purposefully gave Satsuki the lead role to ensure the soldiers’ trust.
- The cannon’s design and terminology are explicitly lewd/adult-themed despite the life-or-death stakes.
- The ground is clear of monsters because they are terrified of the dragons above.
- Oromanso’s ears droop when he’s being soft or caring, revealing his true nature despite his gruff exterior
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Character Insight:
Satsuki shows immense growth by overcoming her tremors through the memory of her lover’s ring, while Marsetta displays a reckless senior-warrior spirit, prioritizing the kill over her own safety.
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Behind the Scenes:
The author uses ‘Ddo-Buddy’ as a play on ‘dobodobo’, an onomatopoeia for heavy liquid flow, reinforcing the adult shop origin of the weapon.
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TL Notes:
Notes:
• Satsuki – A talented Court Mage who was forced to analyze the shop’s adult magic tools. Miranda’s granddaughter. Now she’s the new worker at Harvest, a development she finds both humiliating and surprisingly fulfilling due to the rapid progress in her research under Kento’s guidance. Has long black hair, palace mage robe, and staff.
• Marsetta – A senior court mage and specialist in magical weaponry. She has disheveled hair tied back, wears glasses, and has deep dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep. She hasn’t eaten in two days and is under heavy pressure to find a countermeasure for the enemy’s weapons.
• Kushe – The Chief Mage of the Coalmine Kingdom. She has dark green hair grown out haphazardly and wears a mage robe loosely over her shoulders. She has a blunt, informal, and somewhat insensitive personality, focused on her ‘thinking experiments.’
• Amelia – The Sister of the Church of Demon-Subjugating, who usually buys from Kento, has light blue hair.
• Martin – Lily’s non-blood-related younger brother. Considered the strongest candidate to succeed the Popol family due to his lineage and manifested ‘power. He has pink hair.
• Slop – Leader of the hound-kin pack; Laika’s father. Has orange hair and fluffy tail.
• Oromanso – A General serving as the assistant to Duke Roost. Bear beastman.
• Marian – A ‘Mother’ and supervisor from the Church of Demon-Subjugation. Her appearance and demeanor defy the Church’s purported ‘chastity,’ instead she has wavy purple long hair, busty, black nun, tear mole under eye, and monroe walk. She has arrived with a clear purpose: to confront Kento about the ‘Devil’s Stick.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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