Crystal Campaign

Let's see. Ever wonder why nobles are still swinging swords around in a

super high-tech SF dimension with big laser beams available? And why the

heck do you need to be so wary of them? Well, there are some really

complicated and deep reasons (at least for me) behind it.

First, let's talk about swords. Since its inception, the Graccan Empire has

always regarded swords as a symbol of power and authority. Something like

that isn't particularly rare though. That's also the case on Earth, especially

for the knights in the European Middle Ages and the samurai of Edo-period

Japan, among other examples. Swords like European broadswords and

Japanese katanas were symbols of authority to varying degrees and had long

and storied histories. If so, then it's not so farfetched for the nobles of the

empire, who still maintain a form of the feudal system, to maintain such

traditions as well.

Well, there was no denying that guns were more effective than swords in

many aspects, so for a time, swords really were regarded as nothing more

than status symbols. A few hundred years ago, nobles also had guns strapped

to their waists in addition to their swords.

However, with the rapid advancement of biotechnology, the situation

changed. The nobles made use of highly advanced biotechnology to remodel

their bodies at the genetic level and get cybernetic implants and such in

order to cope with the ever-increasing workload stemming from their

position as the ruling class. So strengthening their bodies far beyond the

theoretical limits was an inevitable development. At first, they only dabbled

in strengthening treatments aimed at increasing lifespan and stimulating

brain activity, but it led to the development of techniques suited to enhance

physical prowess and the brain's information processing capability to

extremely high levels.

It resulted in absolutely dramatic improvements in the overall abilities of the

nobles. And with the development of material engineering technologies, the

swords that were once relegated as mere symbols underwent a period of

rapid improvement as well. The nobles then combined the sword techniques

passed down from their ancestors with their newfound abilities and brought

about a revival of swordsmanship.

If one was a swordmaster who has attained the absolute pinnacle of

swordsmanship, it might be possible to perform the feat of cutting down

bullets in mid-air. But for the nobles with powered-up abilities, cutting down

bullets became nothing but child's play.

The brain and body strengthening technologies still continue to develop to

this day alongside noble sword techniques and swordsmanship styles.

Weapons that shot physical alloy projectiles were turned obsolete, and laser

weapons with powerful miniaturized internal oscillators replaced them. But

these days, even laser projectiles flying at lightspeed can be easily deflected

by the nobles. In some cases, they even reflect them back at the shooter as a

form of counterattack.

I couldn't help but ask 'Are those guys freaking Je*is!?' when I first learned

of this fact.

And so, that brings us to my current situation.

"No, no, no, no, no! I can't do it! I can't– Gyaaaaa!?"

"Y'know, it's actually amazing how Boss is doing so well even if he

complains like that."

"It really is amazing."

I was currently crossing swords with Mei without my power armor on. Uh,

Mei's weapon was actually her baton made of ultra-compressed alloy, so I

can't exactly call it 'crossing swords' after all. But that's not important right

now.

The heavy metallic baton held in Mei's left hand was swung at me with

terrific force. I first tried to desperately avoid it, but quickly realized I

wouldn't make it in time. So I held up the sword in my right hand to try and

receive it. However, I've already learned that if I merely tried to block, my

sword will simply just be repelled due to the great difference in strength.

I held my breath. Time slowed to a crawl, and Mei's baton, which was

originally coming at me at a terrifying speed, turned super slow. It was as if

we were suddenly submerged underwater and it faced tremendous resistance

due to that.

If I simply put up my sword to receive the strike, I would definitely lose out

due to her weapon's weight in addition to the force of her swing. There's

only one thing I could do. I had to aim at the weakest point of the strike and

disrupt it. I rapidly closed the distance and aimed to strike Mei's fingers that

were holding the baton.

"Ugh!"

The trajectory of the baton that was swinging toward me at high speed

suddenly changed. It now aimed straight for my face. I managed to avoid it

with a slight movement of my neck, and I took advantage of the opening

created after Mei's full swing missed in order to strike at her torso– But Mei

suddenly used her right hand to unleash a knife-hand strike to deflect my

slash. The force of her knife-hand strike was tremendous, and it resulted in

my sword flinging out from my grip.

"Gugeh!?"

Her right hand then went straight for my neck and gripped it tightly. It was a

splendid Neck Hanging Tree move.

"I don't think I can ever win against you, Mei…"

The difference between our specs was just too large.

"There's actually no need for you to win though… Master, this is your first

time handling a sword, right?"

"I used to play with wooden swords when I was a kid, but that's about it."

I was surprised when she declared she wanted to ascertain my sword skills

before we begin the lesson and suddenly swung her baton at me, but she did

control her strength so her strikes only caused some minor bruising. If I ever

ate a full-powered strike from Mei, I don't think I'd survive it. But anyway,

dang it sure hurts.

"Perhaps I have a natural talent for the sword or something?"

"No, I don't think that's the case, Master."

"I-I see…"

Well, that sucks. I even got my hopes up a bit.

"Your footwork, body usage, and way of gripping the sword are all

decidedly amateurish. However, your reflexes and overall sword handling

skills are far beyond normal. Did you really never undergo body

strengthening treatments, Master?"

"I don't have any memory of ever receiving them, yeah."

I can't say for sure if I really didn't undergo one since how I came to this

dimension was still a complete mystery to me, but if I actually did, then I

think Dr. Shouko would have told me when I got my check-up. That's why it

probably isn't the case after all.

"At any rate, the fact that your reaction speed and reflexes are already on par

with nobles who have undergone body strengthening treatments is a

wonderful thing, Master. In terms of overall physical abilities, you are only

at the level of an ordinary well-trained human, but your reaction speed is a

different story. With it, you should be able to put up a fight even against

nobles from the Drawn Sword faction."

"I'm sorry, but I have absolutely no intention of crossing swords with those

monsters."

"The possibility of Master facing situations like that can't be said to be zero,

regardless of your intent. Of course, as long as I am by your side, I will

never let anyone lay even one finger on you Master, regardless of how many

opponents there are. But you should still train just in case."

"Well, I guess you're right…"

Judging from how many close scrapes and dangerous escapades I found

myself in until now, It was just as Mei said. There really was no guarantee

that I won't find myself in another troublesome matter. Yeah. Sometimes, I

even feel like it's actually inevitable. Ah, I'm definitely gonna get picked on,

huh. I can't help but have such a premonition.

"It's alright, Master. My pre-installed assets include a detailed advanced

course for swordsmanship training. There's no need to worry on that end."

"Mm."

"With that said, let's try to raise Master to the level of an expert swordsman

in 72 hours."

"Huh?"

"Well then, let us begin. I have anticipated this matter, so I have also

prepared a VR device for training purposes. First, let us start with the basics

such as how to hold the sword correctly, how to swing it, how to find your

center of gravity and some basic footwork. I'll drill them to you thoroughly."

After saying so, Mei put away her metal baton and suddenly brought out a

whip-like object from somewhere. Gosh. That looks pretty painful.

Today's Izrooks sector is very prosperous and bustling with activity. But in

the past, it, along with the Izrooks system, which is the sector's main system,

was only an unassuming backwater frontier sector with an outpost to counter

incursions from crystal lifeforms. Even the Jerom system, with its large

deposits of rare crystal ores, was only one of the many unexplored remote

areas.

The main cause of this situation was the aforementioned crystal lifeforms.

Back then, people have not yet obtained a clear picture of the crystal

lifeform's ecology, and they also posed a great threat against the imperial

military. Furthermore, the empire already had tense relationships with

neighboring powers such as the Vereverem Federation and had many other

underdeveloped star systems and sectors under its rule. That's why the

empire's higher-ups were quite reluctant to put any effort into surveying and

reclaiming places already infested by crystal lifeforms.

The key to the decision of the Graccan Empire to push for the development

of the Izrooks sector with such zeal was a battle that is now famously known

as the [Crystal Campaign], in which a combined fleet composed of the

imperial military and contracted mercenaries set out for a crystal lifeform

extermination operation.

Back then, information regarding the crystal lifeforms was quite scarce. At

most, they only knew that the crystal lifeforms expanded their territory

gradually at regular intervals.

The imperial military in those days gathered enough forces in the Izrooks

system in order to repel such an invasion and was quite successful in the

endeavor.

And there was a particular mercenary captain that jumped to the forefront of

history during this particular campaign. That's right, everyone. As you may

have already guessed, it's the famed Captain Hiro. Captain Hiro's various

feats during that battle have been officially recorded in the imperial

database.

By the time he arrived at the military outpost located in the Izrooks system,

the combined military and mercenary forces were already engaged in

repelling the crystal lifeforms assaulting the base.

Captain Hiro, who just arrived at the battlefield, immediately rushed in

singlehandedly toward the swarm of innumerable crystal lifeforms with only

a single ship. He ended up causing great damage to the enemies and

successfully lured a significant portion of the crystal lifeforms attacking the

base away. That gave enough time for the embattled imperial fleet to get a

second wind and successfully repel the attack.

And furthermore, his favorite ship managed to return virtually unscathed

from such an ordeal. He was awarded the prestigious Silver Sword Wings

Assault medal for his heroics.

Back then, it was standard procedure for the imperial military to send a small

number of recon fleets in order to scout out the surrounding areas after a

crystal lifeform incursion. The then-commander of the frontline base also

followed the procedure to the letter and promptly sent out recon fleets.

Normally, scouting operations like that would end after a certain amount of

time was spent surveying the surrounding systems, but that particular

operation was graced with two unusual factors. Needless to say, one of them

was the presence of Captain Hiro, but the other was on the imperial

military's side. When the imperial military and Captain Hiro are mentioned

together, there's only one other name that comes to mind. And surely, the

combined imperial recon fleet did include the presence of the famous

princess general (who was still a major back then) Serena Holz, and her

Independent Anti-Pirate Mobile Fleet.

Although the recon fleets suffered major losses, they successfully discovered

the location of the Mother Crystal, which was the nucleus of the crystal

lifeform presence in the sector. It was located at the Jerom system. They

brought back the information, and the princess general quickly formulated a

plan to annihilate the crystal lifeforms. The commander of the frontline base

quickly approved the operation, and a large combined fleet was sent out the

same day.

The dispatched combined fleet fought an intense battle in the Jerom system

and succeeded in defeating the Mother Crystal, but Captain Hiro played a

large part in its eventual demise. He once again charged straight toward the

Mother Crystal in a lone ship and hit its core with anti-ship reactive

torpedoes from extreme point-blank range.

It was around this time that Captain Hiro's mercenary colleagues began

addressing him with the nickname 'Crazy'. Thus, the moniker Captain

'Crazy' Hiro was coined.

In addition, the inert corpse of the Mother Crystal, which boasts a size

comparable to a large planet, still remains at the Jerom system to this day.

And ever since the Graccan Empire formally took the Jerom system under its

wing, the Mother Crystal's body continues to supply the empire with

abundant amounts of rare crystal ores.