I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space Mercenary

Chapter 534: 「Stop It, Mimi. That Comment Really Hits Home」

Shattering through the void, a swarm of crystal lifeforms appeared, each one radiating in a variety of colors. There were so many of them that it looked as if the place was overflowing with broken fragments of singing crystals. If this number suddenly spawned within the Grakkan Empire without any prior notice, it would be an outright disaster.

「We’ll reduce their numbers in the initial strike. Be careful not to get caught in the crossfire.」

「「「Understood.」」」

Perhaps my performance up to this eleventh wave had given weight to my words, my proposal was smoothly accepted by the captains of the Holy Empire fleet’s A-class escort ships. Then again, it might simply be that they have no desire to get caught up in the blast.

「I’ll use the Telekinetic Halo. Mimi, I need your support.」

「Yes, sir!」

Mimi responded eagerly. Up until now, her role as Krishna’s operator had been something like a mix between a communication officer and a navigator. In normal times, she handled navigation as well as communication with colonies and other ships. During combat, she would warn me immediately if a powerful enemy appeared, adaptively adjust the radar range, and keep an eye out for any threats approaching us.

Now, with the addition of the Telekinetic Halo, a pseudo-guided weapon, as part of Krishna’s arsenal, her role had expanded to include its operation.

「Target locked!」

I fired the Telekinetic Halo at the swarm of crystal lifeforms Mimi had locked onto. The massive halo, deployed from the rear of Krishna, split into six parts, each forming a sizable ring capable of slicing through a small ship. These rings then surged toward the crystal lifeforms, cleaving through them mercilessly.

「xfghdh#…?!」

The mental waves reverberated through space—like agonized, bewildered screams from the crystal lifeforms. The halos tore through the swarm, weaving through the void and decimating their numbers at an accelerated rate. One of the best features of the Telekinetic Halo is that its size can be adjusted depending on the situation. I could send out a single, massive ring or, as I’m doing now, split it into six. It was versatile enough to divide further or launch as one formidable ring.

However, the more halos I deploy, the harder they are to control. At best, I can manage twelve rings with precise control. Beyond that, guidance became less refined, and if I did push it even further, I could only release them as a scattershot barrage—a crude but devastating widespread attack. While this diminished precision, the halos still retained their cutting power, making them brutally effective in a large-area assault.

As for the halos’ actual potency, it was pretty terrifying. In testing, they were found to bypass shields created by conventional technology entirely, penetrating straight through without any reduction in power. They didn’t weaken shields, nor were they stopped by them.

In terms of raw cutting power, the halos effortlessly sliced through the special metal armor commonly used on battleships. They even cut through armor designed to resist psionic attacks, like the kind used by the Holy Vuelzarus Empire. In effect, the halos ignored both shields and armor, directly tearing through the ship’s structure itself. It’s a monstrously lethal weapon.

「Now’s the time! Charge!」

「「「Yeahhhh!」」」

With the crystal lifeforms reduced to about half their original numbers, the Holy Vuelzarus Empire’s A-class escort ships charged straight into the fray. They unleashed attacks that looked like bluish-white lightning, obliterating the crystal lifeforms. The lightning bolts snaked through the swarm like living creatures, shattering the crystalline bodies in a chain reaction.

Nice! That lightning attack—I love that kind of thing! Chain Lightning—it’s like the ultimate weapon for any guy who’s into this sort of thing!

「We’re going in too!」

「Yes, sir!」

「Huh, right into that chaos?!」

Kugi seemed apprehensive about diving into the chaotic skirmish where crystal lifeforms and A-class escorts clashed intensely. I don’t see what the big deal is, though. Look at Mimi—she’s got a calm, seasoned expression as if she’s done this a thousand times.

「Eek!」

While admiring Kugi’s fox ears and tails fluffed up in alarm, I pushed forward into the battle. Given the high penetration power of both the Graviton Cannons and the Telekinetic Impact Cannon, I had to be careful to avoid accidental hits on allies.

「Mark not just the enemies but also the positions of our allies.」

「Understood, Hiro-sama!」

Now, it all comes down to spatial awareness. I need to carefully track the orbits of both the escort ships and the crystal lifeforms amidst the skirmish. Taking their trajectories into account, I began firing the Graviton Cannons at the crystal lifeforms, ensuring no friendly ships were caught in the crossfire.

「The powered-up Large Caliber Pulse Laser Cannons… Isn’t their firepower a bit excessive?」

「Totally. And by the way, they’re not Large Caliber Pulse Laser Cannons anymore; they’re Graviton Cannons now.」

Just as Mimi feared, the Graviton Cannons’s power was something to seriously consider for future battles. The crystal lifeforms struck by it had parts of their bodies simply erased at the point of impact, and then the rest of their form collapsed inward toward the missing segment, shattering into pieces. Don’t tell me this thing is generating micro black holes or something. That’s scary!

「Seeing as they change back to Large Caliber Pulse Laser Cannons when you aren’t in the cockpit, my Lord, perhaps there’s an option to toggle between the two?」

「That’s a great idea. Let’s give it a try.」

Thanks to the Maneuvering Light Wings, I dodged the crystal lifeforms with nimble, erratic movements. While navigating through their attacks, I looked through the weapon systems searching for a way to disable the magic circle that altered the Large Caliber Pulse Laser Cannons into Graviton Cannons.

「Ah, there it is. The sub-menu for the graviton cannon includes an option to toggle it off.」

Switching back to the familiar green hue of the usual Large Caliber Pulse Laser Cannons, I fired in all directions, blasting away the crystal lifeforms closing in from every angle. Yeah, this feels more like what I’m used to. But for dealing with these kinds of enemies, the Graviton Cannons are simply more efficient. As long as I avoid friendly fire, I can damage multiple targets at once.

「The Telekinetic Impact Cannon it’s a little overpowered… It will probably literally disintegrate any pirate ship I shoot with it.」

「Considering it reduces the crystal lifeforms to literal dust… yeah.」

「It would be troublesome if we couldn’t recover any spoils, my Lord.」

The Telekinetic Impact Cannon, which had evolved from the Large Caliber Scattershot Cannon, was proving to be something of a mixed blessing. In terms of raw power, it leaves nothing to be desired. Its range, area of effect, power, rate of fire, and sustained operation are all superior to the original. But there is a catch—it’s overkill against most targets.

By the way, Kugi’s feedback is starting to show a distinct shift, she is beginning to change her mindset for the one needed in combat. Good, keep it up, Kugi.

「Still, I feel like I might be able to adjust it somewhat, depending on how much I psych myself up.」

「Wait, are you saying you’re using your psychic powers to fire it, Hiro-sama?」

「Not exactly… but ever since Krishna upgraded, I’ve felt this… connection, like there’s a direct link between me and Krishna. Hard to put into words.」

「It’s said that ‘visitors’ and their relics resonate and connect with each other… perhaps this is something like that.」

In truth, when I use the Maneuvering Light Wings to dodge, it doesn’t feel like I’m controlling them with the control stick. Instead, it’s as if I’m directly controlling the wings through sheer willpower—almost as if my brain is guiding them separately from my hands and feet.

「You’re really turning into some kind of comic book superhero, Hiro-sama.」

「Stop it, Mimi. That comment really hits home.」

Honestly, of all the comments I’ve heard in the last few days, that one hit the hardest. I’m pretty sure I’m still within the bounds of humanity… or so I’d like to believe. Is it a stretch? Maybe. But it’s a belief I won’t give up on—otherwise, my sanity might not survive.