Two-Person Galactic Journey: Earth Was Destroyed While Imprisoned in Space Prison-Chapter 163

Chapter 163
Ridiculous.
Of course, Dan didn't believe Kait when he said he'd hold back.
There was no need to believe such nonsense. What could he possibly do with a small vessel that didn't even seem to have any weapons?
Still, something about his words stuck. Telling them not to die, and speaking as if his own life had some kind of backup.
"A backup for his life... Is he talking about clones?"
'That might be it. Maybe he's not an original Earthling.'
Dan nodded at Giolgu's words, thinking that might be the case.
He was probably a clone created by Divin, lacking any unnecessary knowledge. That would explain why he couldn't grasp the difference in their abilities.
Being a clone, losing his life meant nothing to him. Once the meaning of his words became clear, it was simple. And that simplicity only deepened Dan's hatred for Divin, who had created such an abomination.
A tragic Earthling, trained to protect their master Divin. Gritting his teeth, Dan raised the arm of Kissinger.
"Forgive me...!"
As someone who wasn't a god, the only thing he could do was grant that tragic life a swift peace. But the claws of Kissinger, brought down with force, sliced only through empty air.
Fast. Trained as a soldier, Dan's eyes could follow the movement of Kait's ship. He swung his arm again without pause, but every strike was evaded.
'Careless, aren't you?'
"What the—!?"
As he spoke, a shock came from a different direction than the ship.
Kissinger, originally a work machine, didn't have a wide field of view. He realized something had crashed into it, but couldn't identify what.
"Captain! I couldn't see the attack method. What the hell just hit us!?"
'It... it was the steel plates. The ones that ship scattered around earlier. They're moving like they're being drawn in.'
"That's insane. They're just armor plates, right!? Didn't they jettison them to increase speed!?"
Another impact, this time from below. Then from above. He couldn't tell what was happening, but tried swinging his arms to defend himself.
But the shocks didn't stop. They came from every direction—front, back, up, down, left, right—slipping right through his flailing arms. The attacks weren't very powerful, which suggested Kait really was holding back.
"Damn it, what the hell is going on!? Aren't they just plates!?"
After being struck repeatedly, Kissinger's vision finally caught one of the attacks. Just as Giolgu had said, the detached armor plates were crashing into them between the gaps in the assault. Even weak attacks caused damage when repeated. An alert began to sound.
He kicked one of the incoming plates to gain distance. Kait's ship—was it called Queen Bee? If the plates were like Worker Bees protecting their queen, then the name certainly fit.
The steel plates encircled Queen Bee protectively. It felt like facing a deadly beehive, even in space.
'I thought you'd charge right in. You're more cautious than I expected.'
"Don't be ridiculous. Sure, I was a little surprised, but that doesn't mean I'm out of options!"
Of course, Kissinger had projectile weapons too.
Under Dan's control, Kissinger's abdomen opened. Compressed air inside exploded outward, scattering countless bullets.
It was originally designed to break through Divin's barriers. It wasn't powerful enough to destroy Divin's ship on its own, but it was meant to wear down the barriers through repeated impacts. In this situation, Dan judged it would be effective.
The scattered buckshot collided with the surrounding steel plates. Some bullets veered off, others headed toward Kait's ship. Those aimed at Queen Bee vanished against its barrier. They didn't damage the ship, but many of the plates were significantly damaged, likely impairing their precise control.
Or so he thought.
'...Ah, did I mislead you?'
"What!?"
Kait didn't seem fazed at all. The damaged steel plates moved around just as smoothly as before.
'They're not being controlled by a system. They won't stop from a little damage.'
"That's insane!"
Then, suddenly, a plate shot in from outside his field of vision with incredible speed. He couldn't dodge it—it hit directly. Both arms and legs. The plate didn't slow down; it slammed Kissinger into Vengeance.
"Guh...!"
The impact knocked the wind out of him.
He reflexively tried to move his arms and legs, but they wouldn't respond. Moving the main camera, he could only see his arms. A steel plate had pierced through the joints, pinning Kissinger to Vengeance. His legs were probably in the same state.
'Got any usable weapons in that condition? Oh, and don't bother with the buckshot from the abdomen. It'd just be a waste of ammo.'
"Damn it..."
He'd been completely seen through. With Kissinger pinned like that, he couldn't move at all.
Dan ground his teeth. Behind him, Vengeance began to stir.
***
"Activating Vengeance's weapons!"
"Understood."
At Giolgu's words, Dr. Wu and the rest of the bridge crew sprang into action.
Just because the enemy was a small ship didn't mean they could underestimate it. Their opponent clearly had more combat experience than they did. He knew his strengths and used them well.
Vengeance's weapons should be more powerful than Kissinger's. After all, it was the very ship that had obliterated Earth. However, due to damage to the hull or power core, they hadn't been able to use the weapons until recently.
Thanks to Dr. Wu's idea, they had captured and installed several of Divin's ship's power cores. Only now had they finally gathered enough energy to consider using the weapons again.
"Target locked."
The moment the order was given, the loudest alarm yet blared through the bridge.
"W-What's happening!?"
"I-I don't know!"
—Warning. Hostile entity detected in the current combat zone. Immediate retreat strongly advised. Immediate retreat strongly advised.
"Immediate retreat target?"
"Reveal data on this hostile entity!"
After many adjustments, Vengeance's AI had finally stopped resisting the Earthlings. Now, following Dr. Wu's command, it began revealing information.
—Displaying data on hostile entity in combat zone. Ship type: Di-Kigaia Zarmos Custom. Registry name: Queen Bee. Speed, barrier strength, and firepower all inferior. Recommend using nearby allied ships as decoys and retreating.
Everyone on the bridge doubted their ears. They had no advantage whatsoever. The AI was saying the fight wasn't even viable. It made no sense.
"Wait, inferior firepower!? This ship has weapons that blew up Earth!"
—Conclusion unchanged. Even if that cannon were fired at full overload, it would not have enough output to penetrate Queen Bee's barrier. Immediate retreat strongly advised.
"That's insane!"
He couldn't accept it. There was no way a ship with enough firepower to destroy a planet couldn't destroy a single enemy vessel.
"Aim the turret! Begin energy charge!"
—Acknowledged. Beginning energy charge. However, immediate retreat is still strongly advised.
Despite continuing to recommend retreat, the system followed the order and began charging. The bridge dimmed slightly.
'Oh? Not hesitating as much as I thought. Decisiveness is a good trait.'
As expected, Kait cut in over the comms. His calm expression irritated Dr. Wu—Weika—in a way she couldn't quite describe.
"Now! Fire!"
The view turned pure white.
***
"...Am I sane?"
He wasn't sure of his own sanity anymore.
Dan couldn't believe the scene before him was real.
"It should've been a direct hit. There's no way he dodged it."
And yet. Yes, and yet—
When the light from the blast faded, Queen Bee remained completely unscathed.
And atop it stood a man. In the vacuum of space, without a suit. That had to be Kait Crouch. Dan realized it immediately.
'T-Teleport. Initiate teleport—!'
Giolgu's voice rang out in panic. In that instant, the scenery changed.
In the unspeakable relief that followed, Dan realized his hands were trembling. If Giolgu hadn't shouted, he surely would've screamed.