Chapter 294: Blazing Flames of the Battlefield[R-18] (12)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 294: Blazing Flames of the Battlefield[R-18] (12)
My first mission… began in a way I never could have anticipated.
“Eek… S-space?!”
Beside me, Hina’s eyes went wide as she cupped her cheeks, completely freaking out.
I didn’t even have the luxury of laughing at her; I was holding my own breath.
‘…First time in space. I’m a little tense.’
It was my first time on a dedicated space cruiser. My heart pounded as I sat in my designated seat, clad in a specialized pilot suit, listening to the hum of the artificial gravity generator kicking in.
“Whew…”
I exhaled and turned my head slightly to look at Hina.
With a nervous expression, she gazed out the window and muttered quietly.
“This feeling… it’s my first time… We’re really going into space…”
A small smile touched my lips.
“Want to hold my hand if you’re scared?”
“Ugh… I-I’m not scared! It’s just… a natural reaction, you know?”
Despite her words, her hand came to rest gently on top of mine.
A moment later, a thin streak of light pierced the forward screen.
[Shuttle departing. Entering Licencia Group Space Route, Orbit 8.]
[Remaining flight time: approximately 50 minutes, 23 seconds.]
“So, it’s the first time in space for both of you.”
Beyond the monitor to my right, Adele Licencia spoke with a gentle smile from the main seat.
The pristine white spacesuit made her elegant figure look even more graceful.
“Don’t be nervous. Modern cruisers have almost no vibration, and the shock of entering orbit is cushioned.”
“Experiencing it firsthand is something else. To think… this is really space.”
I turned my head to look at the window displaying the view from the external camera.
The blackness of space, and stars scattered like the Milky Way.
A vast, boundless void, incomparable to Earth. And somewhere at its end lay our destination.
“Where exactly is our mission destination?”
At my question, Adele nodded slightly and gazed at the space beyond the transparent window.
“A neutral colony called ‘Elbaite.’ It’s one of the exchange bases between the Earth Federation and the Independent Colonial Alliance.”
I frowned.
“For a neutral zone… I hear it’s been rather unstable lately.”
“That’s right.”
She continued in a calm voice.
“There’s been a problem on Elbaite recently.”
Adele took a short breath and turned her gaze toward me.
“On the surface, Elbaite is a neutral zone… but in reality, it’s practically operated under the Federation’s surveillance. However, in the last few months, that surveillance net has been loosening.”
“So… does that mean the Independent Colonial Alliance is making a move?”
“To be precise, nothing has been confirmed yet. But there’s circumstantial evidence that some rogue elements are active inside. Information leaks, abnormal movement of supplies, and…”
Her voice dropped, turning cold.
“Some of the data on the next-generation energy conversion technology that the Licencia Group was planning to invest in on the Elbaite colony has been leaked. It’s not yet clear who leaked it… but we believe there’s a high probability it’s a third party, not the Earth Federation or Arsenos.”
I quietly looked out the window.
“Somehow… this stinks. It stinks of danger.”
Adele took a short breath and gave a quiet laugh. Her eyes were sharp, devoid of the humor they held before.
“It will be dangerous. There are many people targeting me. Both inside and outside the corporation.”
“So the ‘VVIP escort’ title wasn’t just for show.”
She said with a smirk.
“That’s right. It would be a problem if you thought of yourself as a simple bodyguard, Lieutenant Jin.”
And before those words could even sink in…
—BEEEEEEP!
A warning siren suddenly blared.
[Warning! Unidentified vessel approaching at high speed from the rear left!]
[Current distance 3400… 3200… 3000…]
The situation began to display in real-time on the monitor before me. A single dot, leaving a white trail, was rushing toward us. It was in hot pursuit.
“What… An attack in a sector monitored by the Federation?”
Hina flinched in surprise beside me and looked out the window. Her hands clenched tightly in her lap, and anxiety filled her eyes.
“Lady Adele! Attempted to contact the Earth Federation, but there’s no connection. No response! Communications interference detected!” the ship’s communications officer shouted urgently.
“External jamming waves are continuously increasing! Radio spectrum analysis shows… a structure similar to military-grade communications equipment. This is clear jamming!”
“…A high-speed craft, approaching while hiding its identity.”
I muttered, staring out the window.
“It’s obvious they’re not here for anything good.”
“It can’t be helped.”
Adele stood up, still wearing a relaxed smile. She slowly rose from her private chair and began walking straight toward the exit.
Her steps were calm.
“Lieutenant Jin.”
She stopped and turned to me.
“I’ll be counting on you from now on.”
I nodded and immediately rose from my seat.
“The unit is ready in the hangar, I assume?”
“Yes.”
I ran to the private hangar at the end of the corridor.
—Inside the hangar.
Legion.
The cruiser’s red emergency lights reflected off its cold, metallic sheen.
Once the scan of my suit was complete, I stepped onto the platform and leaped toward the unit.
-Thud!
The moment my feet touched the edge of the cockpit, the unit vibrated lightly.
As I pushed myself through the automatically opening hatch, the space inside enveloped me like a living organism.
[Legion- L-77AX. : Activation sequence initiated.]
A strong sense of pressure, along with a feeling of near-zero-gravity buoyancy, washed over me.
The neural calibration system on my shoulders and waist clicked and tightened, securing me in place. This was my seat. The cockpit where I would face death.
‘Good.’
I rechecked the position of the control levers with both hands. The friction under my fingertips, the responsiveness of the pedals, even the brightness of the HUD.
Everything was perfect.
[Mobility stabilization complete.]
[Forward camera view secured. HUD real-time projection.]
[Output deployment rate 95% / Forward propulsion system normal.]
[High-Tension Blade / Vibration Shooter XM-2 ready for activation.]
‘Response, output… no problems.’
The hot emotion that had been welling up inside me quietly settled.
Inside the cold metal, my body was growing hotter.
Just then, the comms channel connected, and a familiar voice came through.
[—This is Operator Sakurai Hana.]
Her voice was trembling slightly, but she controlled it to sound as composed as possible.
A small operator window popped up on the screen, projecting Hina’s face.
[From now on, I will be in charge of tactical support, unit status monitoring, communications relay, and mission status updates for Pilot Lieutenant Jin Seo-yun.]
[All communications will now be relayed through me.]
[Real-time feedback on all metrics scheduled. Vibration system normal. Propulsion power normal.]
[Unit status is green. Awaiting launch clearance.]
A small smile played on my lips.
“An operator, huh? Suits you.”
After a brief silence, the familiar voice replied.
[…Please take care of me, Oppa.]
Over the comms, her voice was composed, but… it trembled subtly.
“Got it. Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”
[Legion-L-77AX: Final sequence complete. Pilot manual control authorized.]
In front of the hangar, the red lights slowly dimmed as warning lights began to rotate.
—Immediately after.
The heat-shielding lattice in front of the unit split open.
The vast vacuum, the blackness of space, opened its mouth as if to roar.
[Launch countdown: 5, 4, 3…]
The sound of my pounding heart echoed in my ears. I slowly placed my hands on the controls.
[2, 1, Launch.]
“Alright. Let’s have some fun.”
—KWAAAAANG!!
The external heat sinks opened, and an afterimage of light stretched out long behind it.
The pressure of zero gravity tightened my chest as the sound of communications came through my earpiece.
[Legion, has entered current position normally. Orbit stabilization confirmed.]
“Visuals clear. Responsiveness is normal.”
As soon as I finished speaking, the forward sensor panel suddenly flashed red.
[BEEEP!]
A warning tone. It was a combat-mode detection alert, far exceeding the normal range.
[Warning. Multiple enemy units approaching.]
The next moment, new identification codes appeared on the HUD.
[6 enemy units confirmed. Model name—APERST-03 ‘Belfire’.]
I narrowed my eyes.
“Belfire, huh…”
Its form was rendered in real-time on the system screen. A heavy leg frame. The sluggish silhouette characteristic of a heavy-armored type. High-speed rapid-fire revolvers were mounted on each of its arms.
At that moment, another voice cut into the comms.
[Lieutenant Jin.]
It was Adele Licencia.
[That’s Elground Tech’s APERST-03 Belfire. It’s originally an industrial-based unit, but the ones piloting them now are likely terrorists or illegal mercenaries.]
I ran another scan. They weren’t the latest models, but their firepower and durability were solid.
‘A unit type that’s all-in on firepower.’
[Enemy units maintaining forward formation. Number: 6. All confirmed as Belfires.]
The six Belfires formed a frontal line, narrowing their angle of approach. They spread out slightly to the sides in a tactical maneuver bordering on encirclement.
“Six against one. Let’s test their skills.”
[Target acquisition complete. All 6 forward units have entered lock-on range.]
Hana’s voice came through again.
[Approximately 9 seconds until enemy units complete deployment…]
I pulled the control stick.
[Legion-L-77AX: Entering tactical mode.]
-Vweeeen!
The holster on the left arm opened, and the High-Tension Blade shot out. In its hand was the Vibration Shooter XM-2.
Six Belfires. My first battle would be to tear right through them.
The Legion’s back thrusters fired with an explosive sound, and the unit shot forward in an instant.
Its trajectory wasn’t straight ahead, but an exquisite curve that cut slightly into their left flank.
A frontal engagement was pointless. The Belfire was all about firepower, and I had no intention of stupidly taking it head-on.
—Rat-tat-tat-tat!!
Burst rounds spread from the rapid-fire revolvers. But I had already twisted my trajectory half a turn and was circling around to their right rear.
“…Too slow.”
I twisted the unit’s right arm, making a smooth approach to the side of one Belfire, right at its joint.
—CRUNCH!!
“One.”
The first unit lost its balance and spun.
The blade lodged in its joint tore through the internal circuitry, and the unit exploded.
—KABOOOM!!
[1 enemy Belfire unit confirmed destroyed.]
“Next.”
I immediately raised the Stormblaster XM-2.
A quick aim, and fire.
—BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG!!
Three shots.
They pierced the sensor unit of the second Belfire, the one providing rear support.
‘Four left.’
But at that moment, the remaining Belfires scattered in unison.
A simultaneous pincer attack from the front, left, right, and rear. A cross position.
[Oppa! Diagonal, lower left! Cannon fire detected from the 3 o’clock position ahead!]
I immediately had the Legion duck, laying its upper body flat.
The unit slid through the air as if on ice, weightless, as a barrage of fire grazed overhead.
The scan lines were tracing their trajectories.
A 360-degree, three-dimensional trajectory appeared in real-time on the radar, and I followed it not with my eyes, but with my intuition.
My hands gripped the cockpit frame.
One Belfire at 3 o’clock, high-speed reverse thrust. One at 4 o’clock, a feint trajectory. The one at 12 o’clock, using the debris of its fallen comrade as cover for a surprise attack.
‘They’re trying to lure me into a triangular position.’
I tilted my head and pushed the rotation lever in the opposite direction.
—VWOOOM!!
The Legion twisted its upper body sharply and ducked.
As it descended in a half-twisting trajectory, I fired the Stormblaster to the rear.
—BANG-BANG-BANG!!
The Belfire that was flying through the debris took a direct hit from the blaster, right in its cannon.
“Three.”
At that moment, another enemy unit charged up from the lower left as if to ram me, agitated by its comrade’s death.
The energy blade on my left arm shot out and struck the enemy unit square in the head.
—CRASH!!!
Debris scattered. But there were still two left.
[Upper left! They have a firing angle with rotary cannons!!]
A simple evasive maneuver.
In that instant, I slammed the accelerator.
The Legion spun half a turn and re-engaged.
Precisely at the Belfire’s flank. I dug into the joint with the saber blade.
—KRRRAAANG!!
Now, one.
The last one stopped.
Realizing it was completely overwhelmed, it switched to evasive maneuvers.
“Running away?”
I quietly raised the blaster.
“Not allowed.”
—BANG!!
One shot.
It hit the propulsion engine of the Belfire that had turned its back.
—BOOM!!!!
I cut the power to the blaster and leaned back deep into the cockpit seat.
[Oppa, the enemy ship is getting away.]
Hina’s voice was calm.
I stared at the sensor window, briefly debating whether to give chase. But at that moment, Adele Licencia’s voice came over the comms.
[Lieutenant Jin, there’s no need to pursue the ship. Please return.]
“Understood. Legion is returning to base.”