Watch in Silence
[Once it's over, I'll have to get paid more.]
With the declaration of the crimson machine, I and Titan charged toward him at the same time.
From the rear came the fierce clash of gunfire as Yuna and the Doctor fought against the remaining Nesis mechs and Kronos mercenaries, but right in front of us there was nothing but this red demon.
[Heh heh! Come on, let's play!]
Titan's Atlas led the charge, pouring Gatling fire and missiles into the ace's field of view.
Without missing a beat, I dove into the gaps using the Kinetic Flow skill, swinging my energy sword.
Our combo was sharp.
But the ace countered with dazzling displays of dual energy shields, neutralizing Titan's firepower and barely parrying my strike.
'He's reacting?'
Up until now, any machine I faced with the Kinetic Flow skill couldn't even respond.
His reflexes were terrifyingly sharp.
After several exchanges, Titan and I began to be pushed back.
Deep wounds scarred Atlas's armor plates, and my Harrier took hits it couldn't dodge, the warning alarms blaring nonstop.
[Damn it... this bastard... he's too strong!]
Titan shouted through gritted teeth.
At that moment, the Doctor's analytical voice cut in urgently.
[The energy reaction pattern of that machine is abnormally high and unstable. I'm not sure, but it matches the energy signatures seen in enhanced humans.]
Enhanced humans? At the word, Titan reacted instantly.
[So the trash from the scrapyard turned himself into an experiment and became a corporate lapdog?]
The mockery echoed through the channel, and until then the crimson ace's voice exploded with fury.
[Shut your mouth.]
With the shout laced with rage, the ace's movements exploded.
The calm had vanished.
He began to drive us mercilessly.
[This is my second chance! You trash won't be able to stop me!]
The ace deflected Titan's attack with his shields and rammed straight into Atlas's heavy frame, slamming it with a shield.
Kuuuung!
With a thunderous impact, Atlas was shoved back, its stance shattered.
At the same time, he jetted auxiliary thrusters from his left shield and darted at an unpredictable angle, launching a razor kick toward my Harrier's flank.
[Kyuuu!]
I took a brutal hit to the side armor before I could dodge.
The machine staggered and slid several meters.
The warning lights flashed like mad.
Titan quickly straightened his posture, but part of his chest armor was crumpled.
The ace didn't stop.
He now swung both energy shields like weapons, alternating blows between me and Titan.
The razor edge of a shield sliced across Harrier's arm, carving a deep gash, and one of Atlas's missile pods was obliterated by the impact.
We fought desperately for defense and counterattack, but we were forced back helplessly.
'If this keeps up, we're in trouble!'
In the distance, beyond the ruined factory buildings, the silhouette of an old power plant. In an instant, a memory flashed like lightning through my mind.
A railgun in the Sector Echo-14 region.
In combat, a weapon with a powerful one-shot capability that was already broken, only the manual obtainable.
I urgently matched the tactical map data with the surrounding terrain.
[Titan!]
I shouted urgently.
[Give me one minute, just one minute. There's a chance.]
[What?]
Through Titan's comms, the fierce impact of Atlas taking hits echoed.
He went silent for a moment.
In a life-or-death moment, asking for even one minute was suicide.
But his reply was unexpected.
[... Fine! One minute.]
With Titan's determined shout, Atlas charged as if abandoning all defense.
The Gatling guns on both shoulders were no longer used to spew fire but to shield against enemy attacks.
A desperate struggle just to buy time.
[Stupid!]
The ace cursed and unleashed a storm of blows on Atlas.
I didn't miss the opening.
Igniting the Harrier's boosters to maximum output, I left the battlefield at full speed and rocketed toward the direction of the discarded power plant in my memory.
Soon I spotted the half-collapsed, abandoned small power plant building exactly as I remembered it from the game.
"This is it."
I found the hidden hangar in the corner of the ruined control room.
Inside the dusty hangar lay the same massive railgun from the game, sparking unstably.
I didn't know if it was a prototype or a failed junk project, but there was no choice.
I hurriedly activated the Harrier's docking system and forcibly mounted the heavy railgun on its shoulder.
[Overload warning, exceeding limit.]
Powerful electromagnetic noise erupted from the railgun, which was unstablely connected to the machine's systems, making the cockpit instruments flicker for a moment.
"One shot is enough. Hold on."
I climbed back into the Harrier and ignited the boosters again.
During the short time returning to the battlefield, Titan's signal grew weaker and weaker.
Finally the battlefield came into view.
It was a miserable sight.
Atlas was barely standing with its left arm and leg completely destroyed, its entire frame ragged.
The crimson Nesis ace stood before it, preparing the final blow.
[Is this as far as it goes?]
Titan's voice, carrying resignation, came faintly.
I aimed the unstable railgun mounted on Harrier's shoulder at the ace.
The sudden appearance of me and the sight of the giant railgun made the ace hesitate for a split second.
Without hesitation, I pulled the trigger.
With an enormous coil-charging whine, the entire railgun flashed with powerful electromagnetic release.
A black metal shell streaked through the air with a sonic boom, leaving a glowing blue trail.
[Ouch! What the hell is this?!]
The crimson Nesis ace instinctively crossed his energy shields against the sudden threat, but the heavy shell's energy from the unstable prototype railgun pierced his defense as if mocking it.
Kwa-boom!
With a horrifying explosion, the energy shield shattered, sending up red flashes and black smoke.
[...You're not dying yet. Ah, mother.]
The crimson machine was flung dozens of meters, crashing violently into the wall of a factory building before exploding.
For a while, silence fell across the battlefield.
[Sa... saved.]
From Atlas's cockpit, Titan's hollow voice emerged.
His machine was no longer able to continue combat.
I barely controlled the staggering Harrier from the tremendous recoil of the railgun shot.
Inside the cockpit, the warning alarms blared wildly.
[System overload, main power output dropping sharply, weapon control system error.]
[Railgun system forced disconnect, inoperable]
The holographic displays on the instrument panel flashed erratically, and some systems didn't respond at all.
The side effects of forcing the use of the unstable prototype railgun were worse than I expected.
Faint sparks flickered from every part of the machine. It was doubtful whether normal combat could continue.
Amid the confusion, the Doctor's calm voice came through the comms.
[No enemy machine energy responses in the rear sector. All energy sources in the area eliminated.]
Upon hearing this, I reflexively turned the machine's sensors toward the rear.
Through the monitors, the area showed the burning wrecks of the Kronos and Nesis machines that had been engaged by Yuna and the Doctor moments ago.
Black smoke rose like pillars, and the flames still burning in the darkness flickered unnervingly.
[I handled all of them.]
In the moment I realized their strength anew, I turned my gaze back to the state of my own machine.
The massive railgun hanging awkwardly on the shoulder. It was already inoperable from overload and the main cause of the machine's system error.
Without hesitation, I activated the railgun separation system.
With a dull mechanical sound, the fixation devices released, and the heavy railgun fell heavily to the ground with a heavy thud.
#
In the central command control room of Icarus Technology, hundreds of kilometers from Sector Echo-14.
The giant holographic screen was relaying the urgent reinforcement request sent by the Doctor along with the desperate combat situation in Sector Echo-14 in real time.
Dozens of enemy signals were tightening the net around the four allied machines in a hopeless sight.
Commander Gideon stared at the holographic screen with a stern expression.
Behind him, dozens of operators worked busily in silence, but only the heavy quiet filled the space.
The data packet from the Doctor contained analysis of the simultaneous appearance of the Nesis and Kronos mercenary bands and the unexpectedly large enemy scale.
"Even hired Kronos mercenaries?"
Gideon murmured low.
Deep lines creased his brow.
The Nesis movement had been within expectations, but hiring the Kronos mercenaries band, especially in such numbers, was strange.
Moreover, their ambush position and timing were unnervingly precise.
"They were waiting for us to come."
From the beginning, it seemed all information had been leaked, or this mission itself was a meticulously crafted trap.
Gideon's lips trembled slightly.
He himself had approved this mission.
It was the decision made to discern Nesis's unstable movements.
But the result was heading for disaster.
Just then, the heavy door at the back of the command control room opened silently, and a man appeared.
Dressed in a neatly tailored black suit, with a cold smile on his face that was hard to read emotions.
He approached Gideon with a leisurely gait that didn't match the urgent atmosphere around.
The man stood beside Gideon and briefly looked at the hellish battlefield on the holographic screen.
Not a trace of pity was in his eyes.
"A carefully selected elite team sent personally and they're struggling?"
The tone was mocking.
Gideon glared at the man without answering.
The man seemed to savor Gideon's gaze, deepening the smile on his lips.
"It's no good to hold too much in one hand. It will backfire."
The man lightly tapped Gideon's shoulder and said.
"You said you didn't want to see it. Why did you come yourself, Vance Director?"
"What's wrong with coming to check on the status of an operation involving important company assets, Commander Gideon?"
Vance placed a slight emphasis on the important asset word and looked at Gideon.
"Then watch quietly."
"Of course."
Vance crossed his arms and stood beside Gideon.
Between them, only heavy air lingered.