"Overwhelming!"

Inside Avido's cockpit.

I couldn't stop laughing, gripping the control stick.

This is it—this is what I'm talking about.

Crushing the enemy with overwhelming power.

And the enemy is pirates, no less.

I was intoxicated by the feeling of crushing those who reminded me of the debt collectors from my past life, turning from the one being taken from to the one taking.

That's what filled my heart.

Avido, larger than a normal mobile knight, was destroying the pirates one after another, drawing the attention of the enemy.

"Get out of the way!"

As I pulled the trigger, several magic circles appeared around Avido.

Weapons stored in spatial magic manifested.

Missiles were launched one after another from the missile pods, tracking the enemy. The swarming enemies tried to escape but were caught and disappeared in explosions.

Then, several pirate mobile knights emerged from the explosions.

Their movements were different from the other units.

"Are they Pirate Knights?"

Knights who were originally knights but became pirates for various reasons were called Pirate Knights.

Many served as bodyguards or executives for pirate crews; knights were valuable assets to pirates.

The shields mounted on both shoulders blocked the enemy's beams and lasers.

The mobile knight was enveloped in an energy field, preventing attacks from reaching Avido.

Even when hit by solid projectiles, Avido's armor deflected them.

"Isn't this cheating already! -- Oops."

I dodged the mobile knights piloted by Pirate Knights who had switched to close-combat weapons like blades.

Even Avido, impressive as it was, sustained damage from the knights' attacks.

It felt like a new car getting scratched, which I disliked, so I dodged.

After all, it's unpleasant when a newly bought item gets scratched.

I threw away the bazooka, picked up a rifle, and fired, but the opponent also dodged.

"You're different from ordinary pirates. But—you're too slow!"

As Avido brushed past a pirate mobile knight that had closed in, it sliced the enemy in half.

"Good reaction."

I cut down the attacking pirate mobile knights one after another.

Uppercut, downward slash, diagonal slash, sweep—as I swung the blade, enemies were cut and exploded.

One of them blocked my attack with its blade.

However, it charged at Avido, challenging me to a power struggle.

Upon contact, I picked up the opponent's voice.

"You—what did you do! What school are you from?!"

Many knights learned a style.

Learning martial arts was fundamental for knights.

But the opponent was confused, not knowing my style.

This was the mobile knight with the best movement among the Pirate Knights.

I engaged in conversation out of interest.

"It's the One-Flash Style. My master is Anshi. Don't you know him?"

"Know that style? What a joke! A practitioner of a minor sword art getting arrogant! I've never even heard of your master's name."

Angered, I threw away my rifle and crushed the Pirate Knight's head with my left hand.

"Minor, you say? Very well—I'll spread the name of the One-Flash Style by destroying you all!"

After destroying the enemy with just my left arm, I turned Avido towards a nearby pirate ship.

Boosters ignited, and as Avido accelerated, lights attacked it one after another.

Pushing through the rain of optical weapons, Avido charged into the pirate ship, piercing its armor and entering.

It then exploded as it was destroyed.

◇

Goaz watched the black mobile knight emerge unscathed from the explosion.

"W-what is that! Who is that? Who is the knight piloting that unit?!"

He had assumed it was a mobile knight piloted by a named—a renowned knight.

He thought they had even brought out a large, old unit, but the Pirate Knights were utterly defeated by such a unit, unable to even put up a fight.

Goaz, panicking, was sweating cold.

"Why would a named knight be here..."

However, his副官 (fukukan - adjutant/deputy) was surprised upon hearing a report from a subordinate.

"Captain! The one piloting that mobile knight is the head of the Banfield family! Liam Sera Banfield himself!"

"What?!"

Upon hearing the report, Goaz trembled with anger.

"Are you telling me that the bodyguards I paid a fortune for were defeated by a mere brat? Those mobile knights I gave them weren't cheap either!"

He had hired Pirate Knights after paying a high fee.

The mobile knights he provided were also acquired from dark merchants, units adopted by the interstellar nation.

Although their appearance was altered, they were still superior to the units used by ordinary pirates. He couldn't believe they were no match for the enemy.

"--It's convenient that the boss showed up. Surround him and take him down! Idiot. He's just a kid, rushing out for a bit of glory."

Goaz put on a brave face for his subordinates.

Pirates were untrustworthy, even to Goaz, who was also a pirate.

This was even more true when their numbers swelled.

If they thought they couldn't win, there was a high chance they would betray Goaz.

While sitting on his chair, appearing relaxed, the pirates began to swarm Liam's unit as per Goaz's orders.

But—

"What!!"

Goaz's mouth fell open in surprise.

The pirates who swarmed Liam were being torn apart in an instant.

They exploded just by getting close to Liam.

Even pirate ships were cut in half; it was as if he were dreaming.

(Impossible! Even if knights are strong, this is abnormal. What is this guy? What is he?!)

He couldn't believe it.

Liam then proceeded straight towards Goaz's flagship.

As he cut through the allied pirate ships that were crowding the area, his allies, trying to shoot him down, began to engage in friendly fire.

"You fools! Stop them immediately! Have the mobile knights engage him."

Pirates in a panic over Liam alone.

But the enemy wasn't just Liam.

His副官 (fukukan - adjutant/deputy) shouted.

"Captain! The enemy is charging towards us!"

The enemies, surging forward to pursue Liam, formed a cone-like formation.

They broke through the scattered pirates.

The pirates were in disarray due to the high level of training and minimal disorganization of the approaching force.

Goaz slammed his fist on the armrest of his chair.

"Useless fools!"

Although the pirate crew had many former military personnel, most of them had not received proper training.

If they faced even a slight disadvantage, they would easily crumble.

Goaz pondered.

(The tide is turning against us. If we're going to lose like this, I should just escape and hide. I thought I had gotten a bit too big for my britches.)

Being the leader of a massive pirate fleet was appealing, but managing the pirates had become troublesome.

Deciding to go into hiding, Goaz called for his副官 (fukukan - adjutant/deputy).

In a low voice,

"We're escaping. Contact only those you can trust. You can abandon the rest."

Although the副官 (fukukan - adjutant/deputy) was surprised, he quickly nodded.

"Understood."

Goaz's flagship began to move, and the surrounding escort ships followed.

(If I escape, I'll keep sending assassins after that brat. I have this. I can start over as many times as I want.)

As he tightly gripped his alchemy box, his副官 (fukukan - adjutant/deputy) shouted.

"What is it! Why aren't we escaping faster?!"

The pirate in charge of steering replied.

"Our allies are blocking us, we can't escape!"

The副官 (fukukan - adjutant/deputy) punched his subordinate.

"Then break through them and advance! Hurry up. The enemy is already close!"

This action by the副官 (fukukan - adjutant/deputy), who was at a disadvantage and wanted to escape quickly,

Was something he would never have done normally.

Why did he do such a thing?

--Simply because Liam was approaching.

The pirates were terrified of Liam, who couldn't be stopped by any means.

And then—

"Caught you."

--The flagship shook violently.

Liam's Avido had landed on the ship.

◇

I spotted the enemy flagship trying to escape and attacked it.

Upon landing on the hull, I destroyed the turrets targeting Avido.

"Even the pirates wouldn't dare target the captain's ship, I suppose."

The pirates hesitated to attack the flagship, allowing me to walk boldly on top of it.

"Is that where the escape pods are likely to launch?"

I fired my rifle, blocking their escape routes.

"It's too late to try and escape now. I'll tell you who you messed with. And all your treasure is mine!"

As I meticulously blocked their escape routes, the pirates began to flee.

When my allies finally caught up, they requested instructions via a noisy communication channel.

"Lord, are you alright?!"

"Pursue them. Leave a thousand ships behind, and the rest should chase the fleeing enemies. Don't let any of them escape. Surrender is not accepted. Annihilate them completely!"

"Yes, sir!"

My allies pursued the fleeing pirates.

Even in space, pursuit battles are the most effective way to defeat enemies.

As allied ships docked with the enemy flagship, preparations were made to deploy ground troops.

I forced open the hatch to enter the mobile knight hangar.

Mobile knights were waiting and fired bazookas, but that wasn't enough to destroy Avido.

"Ah, it's gotten dirty."

Seeing Avido nearly unscathed, the pirates attacked in a frenzy of fear.

Even pirates in spacesuits attacked with rifles.

"You're in the way."

A part of Avido's armor opened, and lasers were fired from it, obliterating the pirates.

I cut down the mobile knights, and when resistance ceased, I put on my helmet.

The pilot suit also served as combat gear—a powered suit.

I attached my blade to my hip equipment, took my rifle in hand, and dismounted Avido to board the pirate ship.

"Now, let's go treasure hunting."

At that moment, allied small craft began entering the hangar one after another.

As ground troops disembarked, they gathered around me.

The soldiers, clad in combat-ready powered suits, were all taller than me and exuded an intimidating presence.

And yet, they were polite to me—it was truly enjoyable.

"Lord Liam, we've come to escort you."

However, they seemed to intend to take me back.

"I refuse. You all come with me."

"It's dangerous! We've secured the power core, but what if the enemy self-destructs—"

"Cowards wouldn't self-destruct. Come on, hurry up."

I led the reluctant ground troops into the ship.

The ground troops wore bulkier powered suits than mine and surrounded me.

The pirate ship was cleaner than I expected.

As the gravity control seemed to have been deactivated, I walked through the zero-gravity corridor.

I had boots that allowed me to walk in zero gravity, and thanks to them, I could move.

"Surprisingly clean."

"Lord Liam, please don't go ahead so carelessly!"

As I proceeded despite the warnings, my senses detected hostility, and I stopped everyone.

"Hey, someone's hiding. -- Over there."

At the corner of the corridor.

I sensed a presence waiting there.

At the same time, I sensed the presence of pirates hiding in the ceiling.

My subordinate fired his rifle at the ceiling, creating a hole.

Red blood emerged from it, floating in the air as a sphere, so it seemed I had defeated them.

My subordinate reported to me.

"They seemed to be wearing suits that don't register on sensors. I can't believe pirates have such expensive equipment."

They possessed very expensive equipment.

This meant there was something to look forward to.

"Good. Let's continue the treasure hunt. Come on, let's go."

I proceeded further, as the pirates in the back of the corridor were dealt with by the ground troops.

Then, I entered a large corridor.

Waiting there were pirate knights wearing powered suits.

"You're too careless!"

They attacked us.

"Protect Lord Liam!"

I pushed aside my subordinates who were about to step forward.

"Unnecessary."

I walked past the pirate knights without paying them any mind.

Seeing my subordinates' confusion, I turned back and said.

"What are you doing? Hurry up and come."

"Uh, no—"

The pirate knights who lunged at us, in their momentum, crashed into the walls and floor, their bodies scattering.

"Lord Liam, what did you do?"

To my bewildered subordinates, I replied nonchalantly.

"I cut them."

Even so, I still haven't reached my master's level.

I haven't reached the point where the slash is so fast that it's hard to tell if the sword was even drawn—as if it wasn't cut at all.

I remember it vividly even now, but my current slashes are child's play compared to my master's.

My following ground troops fell silent.

Yes, fear me.

Fear and worship me, your lord!

◇

A soldier of the ground force looked at Liam's back as he walked ahead.

Since the child was wearing a powered suit, he appeared somewhat large.

However, his back looked even larger—and more magnificent.

"He's so composed fighting so many knights."

Normally, when soldiers encounter knights, they lament their misfortune.

There's such a difference in power, but having a reliable knight as an ally makes them feel grateful for their luck.

A fellow soldier said to another.

"He's already mastered it even though he's not even an adult. Isn't our lord actually an amazing person?"

His administrative skills were already highly regarded.

However, his military capabilities were not.

After all, he was not yet an adult and had not received military education.

There was no way to evaluate him.

"Ah, his strength is unbelievable. Perhaps we are soldiers of someone truly extraordinary?"

Soldiers from the Banfield territory.

They had never been outside, so they didn't know how amazing Liam was.

But seeing Liam on the battlefield like this, they thought, perhaps their lord was an amazing person?

That's what they thought.