***
"Hmph. Don't think that just because this is a virtual realm, I'll be going easy on you, rookie. These pods we're sitting in? State-of-the-art mental response CPUs built into the chairs, with feedback shock replicators in the helmets. They send signals straight to your brain, making this place feel almost as real as reality."
As I spoke, Firefly opened and closed her right hand repeatedly, her expression shifting into something... unsettled. As if something was wrong within the digital domain.
"The rules are simple. Whoever kills the other first wins." I leaned back, smirking. "This simulation is incredibly realistic, but there won't be any harm done to us in the real world, so don't be afraid to go all out if you need to, cutie." I threw in a wink, but Firefly ignored my playfulness, nodding instead.
She was listening, but her focus was still on her hand, flexing it, testing it. That was when I realized—she'd already noticed the mental control delay.
Don't tell me she caught on that fast? It's only a 0.3-second lag, but in a real fight, that difference could mean life or death.
I needed to test her, see how quickly she was adapting.
"Engage!"
[CK-49, Lepus, the Rabbit Knight! Ready for combat!]
In a flash of light, I was encased in armour—sleek, mechanical, rabbit-like. Its legs, razor-sharp and bladed, dug into the ground as my mech struck a battle-ready stance.
Then she appeared.
Opposite us, Firefly's knight took form—CK-14, Andromeda. An imposing colossus, its cracks seething with a menacing teal glow. The heat radiating off it filled the virtual realm, and even inside Lepus' cockpit, I was already sweating.
[...Pilot, wait.] Lepus' voice wavered. [Is that... Andromeda's signal?]
"Yes, it is." I grinned. "Time we schooled this sapling on how cruel superiors can be!"
[Mmm, nope.] Lepus refused outright.
"Huh?! Why?"
[That's THE Andromeda, that's why. Unlike you, whose movements I assist, his pilot is in full control. The reaction time, the combat talent required to drive him—it's leagues above me. His fire is nothing I want to burn my precious ears with, either.]
Softly stroking her rubber-like ears, Lepus pouted.
From across the arena, Firefly and Andromeda stood motionless. Through her visor, I could see the perplexed look on her face as she wordlessly asked, What the hell is going on over there?
"T-time out! Minor technical difficulties!" I spun around, whispering urgently to Lepus. "You're making me look bad in front of my junior!"
The mech sighed at me.
[Out of all fifty Constellation Knights, Andromeda ranks as the most elementally destructive. Flamethrowers. Liquid helium bombs. Magnetic strength enhancement. He can even fly. Meanwhile, I'm just a cute little rabbit that hops around real fast. Oh, and I also owe him for saving me from blowing up in the past, so—]
"Lepus, this is a virtual fight! To hell with what you want!" I gritted my teeth. "Stop embarrassing me!" I yanked at the controls, trying to force her to obey.
Lepus rebelled, her mech frame jittering, swaying—bouncing like an idiot across the battlefield.
[CK-49, Lepus.]A grizzled synthetic voice cut through my struggles. It was Andromeda.
I turned around within Lepus. Across the arena, the hulking knight faced us, unmoving.
[I understand if you have reservations about this sparring match, given that a former pilot once stabilized your core. However, my current pilot requires combat training. Please rescind control to your pilot.]
[Still as stiff as ever, Mister Fairy Knight.] Lepus tittered. [Fine, since you asked me so nicely. But don't think for a second I'll let my pilot hold back.]
With a stomp, Lepus' left leg activated—its chainsaw blade drilling into the ground. The arena cracked open like shattered glass, webbing out in violent fissures.
[Optimal opponent combat levels verified.]Andromeda took one step forward. [Open fire, pilot.]
A flash of teal fire. He jettisoned forward, his fist blazing.
"Shit—!"
I barely dodged, my body twisting to the side.
[Ahhh! I'm going to get burned!] Lepus wailed as Andromeda swung again. His blows came fast, relentless. No wasted movement. Every punch nearly caught me in the ribs, or the head, or—
A heavy impact slammed into Lepus' abdomen. Lepus' metal stomach caved from the sheer force, and we skidded backward. My cockpit rattled from the shock.
"Lepus, take this seriously!"
[I am! Andromeda's pilot gave no opening for a counterattack and managed to sucker punch us in that short time from our blind spot! It's you who needs to stop thinking she's just some little girl!—Incoming!]
Before we could gather our thoughts, Andromeda came crashing down from above—heel first, wreathed in a blaze.
Lepus sprang up just in time, launching away from the attack. On impact, Andromeda drowned the virtual arena's floor in searing orange fire, leaving nowhere safe to land.
Bouncing off the digital walls, Lepus glided to the far side of the battlefield. With a surge of spirit energy, she crashed back down, her landing blasting out the majority of the flames. [We need to break their focus, Pilot. Andromeda's heat control will start faltering then.]
A slow grin spread across my face. Their connection—Andromeda and his pilot—had to be incredibly acute for such precise heat manipulation. If I could enrage one, the other would crack.
"There's one unsavoury story about the Fairy Knight we can use for that."
Lepus caught on immediately, voice laced with taunting amusement. [My, my. Still as merciless as before, Andromeda. I heard the rumours after reactivation, but maybe the stories of the Star Slayer are true?]
Across the waves of flickering fire, Andromeda stood—a daunting figure of war, bathed in the glow of his own inferno. His presence alone was terrifying. But he remained eerily still. His pilot, however, had to be reeling.
[Hey, tell me.] Lepus pressed on, her tone almost casual. [It happened after my pilot in that era died, so I don't know the details. But is it true? That your last pilot made you destroy three of the Constellation Knights?]
The air in the arena shifted. Andromeda sliced his arm through the air, snuffing out the flames in an instant, leaving behind an unnatural cold. The floor beneath us glazed over with ice, even where I stood.
"...Shut your mouth." Andromeda surged forward—flames igniting once more—his gauntleted fist rocketing toward us in a blaze.
I reacted on instinct. Raising Lepus' left leg with the controls, spirit energy erupted from its edges, forming a chainsaw of searing plasma blades. It clashed against his blazing gauntlet, the sheer force sending shockwaves through the air. Spirit energy against unbridled fire.
[What's the matter, Andromeda?] Lepus taunted, voice sharp. [Why are you letting your pilot do all the talking?] She pressed further, twisting the knife. [Given what happened last time, you'd think you'd have learned not to treasure your pilot so much.]
"You don't know anything about what happened back then!" Firefly's voice rang out in fury. The flames enveloping Andromeda vanished, replaced by a freezing mist. A sudden flash-freeze locked Lepus' movement, giving Andromeda the perfect opening.
He redirected our chainsaw-kick into the ground with a precise strike of his wrist before ramming his elbow toward Lepus' stomach.
I barely managed to intercept, crossing both of Lepus' hands to block the impact—but the cold was merciless. The nitrogen flash-froze Lepus' armour, turning the plating brittle. Then Andromeda slammed his head forward, skull-bashing straight into Lepus' frozen chest. Armor shattered. Plates broke off. The force sent Lepus flying, crashing hard against the digital wall.
"What the—?!" I barely caught my breath as we hit the ground. "That's not how a rookie fights! She's like a veteran!"
[It's weird,] Lepus admitted, her tone unsteady. [Andromeda's always been cold-hearted, but this much taunting should have rattled him. Not his pilot. Don't tell me... she already knows?]
A heavy realization sank in.
[Change of plans. We can't risk prolonging this battle, Pilot Verwin. Activating Constellation Drive.]
A pulse of radiant light tore through the crumbling virtual space. Both of Lepus' sharp legs blazed with chainsaws of pure spirit energy—strong enough to cleave ten tanks in half with ease.
Lepus surged forward, her speed growing exponentially as she circled Andromeda in a blur of shredding blades. The strategy was simple: disorient and strike.
[It's our win!]
A flash of green. From Andromeda's shoulder, an emerald sword shot out, intercepting our attack. His visor flickered as he muttered, [Pilot Firefly has already faced an enemy like this. Try harder.]
No way—! The Mutant KnightMare?!
I forced myself out of my shock, following up with another lightning-fast kick. Andromeda grabbed the flying sword mid-air, barely managing to parry as the chainsaw blade gnashed against it.
He pressed down, forcing Lepus' leg into the shattered arena floor—knee-deep in virtual debris.
Capitalizing on our momentary vulnerability, Andromeda swung his sword straight for my neck.
Desperation took hold. I jerked Lepus' other leg up, catching his blade with the chainsaw at the last second. Sparks exploded between us, pure force grinding against unrelenting steel.
Using the momentum, Lepus ripped her trapped leg free and landed at a safer distance, eyes locked on our opponent.
"So the Mutant KnightMare was a speed type, just like me?"* I exhaled, steadying my grip. "Then I'll prove I'm still faster!"
I poured more spirit energy into Lepus, shaking the entire virtual space with its raw intensity. Andromeda responded in kind. His sword split into two. The chilling aura of ice melted away, replaced by blinding teal fire.
"Constellation Drive. Activate." Firefly's voice was eerily soft, yet the effect was anything but. Andromeda's armour cracked open, releasing an ocean of turquoise flames that swallowed the battlefield in an unholy glow.
I stiffened. "You've got to be kidding me." Lepus' fear, her reluctance to fight, became painfully clear. "What kind of fairy looks so demonic?"
Andromeda stepped forward, unfazed by the burning world he had unleashed. His pale, ghostly flames made him look less like a mystical being of nature and more like a harbinger of wrath—like a demon.
[If you don't want to lose, be ready to lose a leg, Verwin.] Lepus' voice wavered. [It's all the pilot's doing. Andromeda only controls the heat expulsion manually. That girl... what has she been through to already be this skilled?]
"Don't patronize me, Lepus! This is more than my pride now! Let's go!"
Spirit and flame collided in a final, frenzied clash.
Sparks and molten slashes carved through the battlefield as Lepus' blinding speed met Andromeda's relentless fire. Every exchange left deep cuts—on the walls, the floor, even their armoured bodies.
Lepus, striking faster than any bullet, used rapid guerrilla tactics to chip away at Andromeda.
Andromeda, in turn, let his flames run wild, burning away at Lepus' defences. The cockpit became an oven—I could feel it, my spirit energy draining faster by the second.
And then— "Come on!" Lepus took the final leap, leg primed to decapitate Andromeda.
He barely reacted in time. The impact forced his sword from his grip.
Lepus spun for the finishing blow. "Go!! ...Huh?!"
A second sword. Hidden until now. In a single swing, Andromeda cleaved straight through Lepus' leg.
"Where were you hiding that?!?" I choked out.
Andromeda's battered arm lunged forward, fingers outstretched for Lepus' throat— but he locked up. A jagged shard of his own broken armour had jammed between his arm joints, freezing his motion entirely. Both pilots realized it at the same time.
Lepus didn't hesitate. She launched upward under my piloting, spinning mid-air—her remaining leg slicing clean through Andromeda's visor.
At the same time, Andromeda's arm broke free, his blade puncturing straight through Lepus' chest.
Both bodies flickered. Pixels disintegrated.
A pause. A breathless wait.
Then—
[Victor: Brigadier Verwin!] the AI's voice announced.
I let out a deep breath, watching as Andromeda's body crumbled into glowing fragments before Lepus followed suit. 'What a monster...' Even now, the tension hadn't left my chest. 'She actually forced me to go all out.'
The moment I logged out of the VR cabin, the pod's doors slid open, and I pulled off my headset, blinking as the real world came back into focus.
[Ahh! That was such a narrow victory!] Lepus squealed in my earpiece. [If it weren't for her lack of experience, that girl would have crushed us! I've never seen such raw talent and instinct for violence in someone so young before! No wonder Andromeda chose her as his pilot!]
Scooping Lepus from the slot she'd been inserted into, I exhaled, my body still buzzing with residual adrenaline. She wasn't wrong. That fight wasn't just close—it was too close. Firefly took control of the terrain, strategized excellently, overwhelmed me perfectly, and countered nearly every move I made. The only thing she lacked was adaptability in the final moments, when she forced her attack rather than adjusting to the unexpected.
"...How the hell did we even win that?" I muttered.
[Pure luck,] Lepus answered without hesitation. [We did a good job stripping Andromeda's armour to target his critical systems, but a stray piece of plating just happened to wedge itself into his shoulder joint before we could land the real finishing blow. If not for that, you'd be a burning carcass in the virtual realm right now.]
I grimaced. "You could try being a little more complimentary, you know."
[Teehee~!]
Shaking my head, I stepped out into the corridor, only to be met with applause from the gathered crew.
"Woo! That was an incredible fight, Brigadier!"
"I can't believe you two demolished the entire arena!"
"Seriously, how did you even pull that off?!"
I tossed my hair back with a smirk, basking in the praise as I made my way down the hallway. But as my gaze swept the crowd, I spotted Firefly already deep in conversation with Fenrir. A mischievous grin spread across my face. Perfect.
Sneaking up behind her, I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and leaned in. "Yahoo~! You weren't half bad in there! For my reward, I think I'll help myself to these marshmallows on your face."
I barely had time to register the shift in her demeanour before I froze.
That dark expression... Firefly's gaze was locked forward, unreadable, her body tense.
'Ah. That must've been her first loss. No wonder she was taking it so hard.' I loosened my grip, my voice softer now. "Hey... sorry about what I said in there. I know the truth of what really happened, so twisting it like that—it wasn't fair."
"Again," she murmured.
I blinked. "Huh?"
"Fight me again." The weight of her words sent a cold shiver through me.
My body reacted before my mind caught up—I immediately hid behind Fenrir. "Ehehe... I-I don't think we can do that right now. R-right, Commander?"
[Nooo!!!!] Lepus wailed in horror. [We cannot fight her again! She'll crush us this time! Absolutely not! I don't want to become a sexy frozen candle again~!!]
Fenrir chuckled, thankfully stepping in to save me. "You're both probably running on empty after that. Wouldn't hurt to rest first before considering a rematch tomorrow—if Firefly isn't busy with her duties, that is."
Firefly wasn't budging. "We can just fight without Constellation Drives this time." The sheer determination in her voice sent a jolt of panic through me.
[Find an excuse to run, Verwin, I'm begging you! Andromeda is terrifying even without spirit energy!] Lepus sobbed.
My mind scrambled. "W-would you look at the time?! I, uh—I have a... book... manicure... salon club! Yes! A book manicure salon! Super exclusive! I, uh, must go! See you all tomorrow!"
And with that, I bolted down the hallway, faster than any rabbit had ever fled from a predator.