Chapter 302: Blazing Flames of the Battlefield[R-18] (20)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 302: Blazing Flames of the Battlefield[R-18] (20)
We had just reached the hangar where our cruiser was docked.
‘…Killing intent?’
My senses reacted first. Five of them, somewhere down the hall.
A sharp, refined killing intent pierced the air.
“We’re under attack!”
Before my shout even finished—
—Rat-tat-tat-tat!!
Bullets tore through the metal walls in a downpour. Three bodyguards immediately shielded Adele, while Kim Su-hyeon ducked and drew her pistol.
“My lady! Take cover!”
At Kim Su-hyeon’s cold command, Hina pulled Adele behind a wall as if embracing her.
I quickly scanned the corridor's layout.
A long, narrow hallway. A structure that limited entry from the sides.
In other words, this frontal assault wasn't a simple surprise attack, but a thoroughly planned ambush.
Thwack! Thwack!
One of the bodyguards tried to return fire but was struck by three consecutive bullets and collapsed.
The other two instantly dropped to the ground.
“Get down!”
I yelled, pulled a smoke-flash grenade from my belt, and threw it down the corridor.
BOOM!!
An intense flash and thick smoke engulfed the hallway.
For a moment, visibility on the battlefield was completely cut off.
And then I moved, sharpening all my senses.
Through the smoke, I listened for every breath, every footstep, even the faint whir of their equipment.
‘Three o’clock… shallow breathing. And… the sound of a weapon readying to fire.’
Swish! Squelch!
I swung my blade. A short, sharp sound, followed by the thud of a falling body.
First enemy, eliminated.
As the smoke began to clear, silhouettes emerged from the other end of the hall.
Red exoskeleton combat suits.
Their helmets were multifunctional composites, with a tactical UI displayed on the HUD before their eyes.
These weren't simple terrorists or mercenaries.
‘Their training and equipment are beyond that of regular soldiers.’
“Who… are you?”
I asked, slowly gripping my blade.
There was no response.
Instead, only the faint sound of transmission came from within their helmets, as if they were communicating.
「All units, execute Protocol F.」
At that moment, the remaining four moved in unison.
Two pushed off the walls to drop from above, while the other two crossed the hall to attack from both sides.
A precise maneuver, targeting front and back, high and low, all at once.
Their speed was abnormally fast for what looked like ordinary exoskeleton suits.
Enhanced drive modules and high-speed reaction circuits. Their movements were no different from those of trained assassins.
‘Are they trying to draw me in… and eliminate Adele at the same time?’
Two in front. Their angles, distance, and movements were all designed to throw me off balance.
But the real danger were the two flanking me, heading for Adele Licencia.
“Su-hyeon!”
With a short cry, I threw my blade to the side.
CRACK!!
In an instant, the thrown blade pierced the neck of an enemy approaching Adele.
He collapsed before blood could even spray.
“Behind you!!”
Kim Su-hyeon spun around and kicked out at the other one. Her kick sent the enemy staggering into the wall.
‘Now I just have to deal with what's in front of me.’
Two of them.
They charged at me simultaneously.
Without my blade, I grabbed the first enemy's wrist with my bare hand and twisted.
Snap!
The forced acceleration backfired, snapping the joint. I didn't miss the opening and slammed my elbow into his helmet.
CRASH!
The second one followed right behind. I spun, using the exoskeleton of the enemy I'd just taken down as a shield.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Three bullets slammed into its chest and ricocheted off.
And then I pushed forward with all my strength.
“You're finished, too.”
THWACK!
My knee struck his jaw, and the recoil sent him to the ground.
A brief silence.
Only heavy breathing and the remains of the fallen were left in the corridor.
I slowly picked up my blood-soaked blade.
When I looked back, Hina was watching me, still maintaining a defensive stance in front of Adele.
Kim Su-hyeon had already lowered her gun and was scanning the equipment of a fallen enemy.
"Is everyone alright?”
I asked, looking around. Adele slowly got to her feet.
“…Yes. Thanks to you.”
She answered cautiously. Kim Su-hyeon approached the fallen enemies and knelt before one of the bodies.
Her expression was blank as she removed the helmet, but her eyes narrowed sharply for a moment.
"These men are…”
Kim Su-hyeon's voice was low and heavy.
“…Knights-Shade. Arsenos's most elite infiltration unit.”
In an instant, the very air seemed to grow heavy.
Adele muttered in disbelief.
“…Arsenos.”
“The target is definitely you, my lady.”
Kim Su-hyeon added firmly.
“There's a chance more of them will arrive. We need to move, right now.”
I nodded at her words.
“Let's move.”
We immediately went down the left corridor and through an emergency passage.
Finally, we reached our destination.
There, the mech I was to pilot, the Legion L-77AX, was waiting silently.
I climbed into the cockpit right away. Just then, a voice called out.
“Lieutenant Jin.”
I turned my head and saw Adele Licencia standing there.
“Yes?”
“…You're the only one who can resolve this situation.”
She spoke slowly and firmly.
“So I'm putting my trust in you.”
At her words, I quietly met her gaze. Her eyes, which always held a playful smile, were now filled with sincere responsibility and concern.
“Don't worry.”
I said with a nod.
“I won't let anyone lay a finger on you.”
As I sat in the cockpit, the Legion's systems began to activate. Combat data appeared on the monitors one by one, displaying the mech's status.
[Legion-L-77AX: Activation Sequence Initiated]
[All Systems Nominal]
[Output: 90%]
[Armaments: High-Tension Blade / Vibration Shooter XM-2]
“Launching.”
The Legion's startup sequence hummed, low and heavy. The vibrations spreading through the mech resonated deep in my bones.
The hangar shutter slowly opened.
Through the gap, the crimson-stained chaos outside tore into view.
A burning city, screaming people.
The remnants of red plasma split the air, and a colossal mech hovered ominously over the colony's center.
The area around it was like a scene from hell.
The collapsed colony ceiling, tilted structures, debris and flames drifting through pockets of zero gravity.
The massive shadow was silently trampling everything in its path.
[Legion-L-77AX: Activation Sequence Complete. Battlefield View Secured.]
The mech rotated on its central axis, steadying its stance. The trajectory of the massive mobile weapon on the HUD flashed red.
“This is Legion-L-77AX, launch complete.”
The comms channel opened, and a familiar voice came through.
[This is the Licencia cruiser, Operator Sakurai Hina. Connecting you to the Elbaite Self-Defense Force channel now.]
A moment later, after a mechanical connection tone, another calm voice came on the line.
[This is Elbaite Self-Defense Force Command. Legion, we read you. This is Colonel Praut.]
His voice was laced with exhaustion and desperation.
[The situation is critical. If we let that monster continue... the entire colony will collapse.]
I responded concisely.
“Yes, I'm aware.”
[…Good. Our forces are currently engaged with the Arsenos fleet. We can't offer any support. Civilian evacuation is also incomplete.]
He paused. When he spoke again, his voice was heavy.
[Right now, you're the only one who can stop that thing.]
I quietly checked my HUD again. The massive mech hovered in the distance.
Its size alone was a threat, and countless red ports were slowly opening.
In the center of its body, a slowly rotating red core was beginning to power up.
“…Understood.”
[I have one request.]
“Go ahead.”
[Keep the damage to the colony to a minimum, if possible.]
I nodded silently.
“I can't guarantee that, but I'll do my best to minimize the damage.”
Hina's voice cut back into the comms.
[Oppa… be careful. Don't push yourself too hard.]
I gave a short laugh.
“Don't worry.”
With that, I cut the transmission.
I settled deep into the pilot's seat and fixed my fingers on the control levers.
“Alright, let's get this started.”
Vroooooom…!
The Legion's thrusters flared at high output. The mech carved a smooth arc as it shot toward the skies above the colony's center.
In an instant, the HUD locked onto the massive mobile weapon.
As soon as it detected the Legion's charge, the colossal weapon's red optical sensors flashed.
Its binocular sensors rotated to focus on me, and panels on the front of its body began to open.
Chk-chk... KRAANG!
A massive plasma port emitted a high-frequency whine as it charged with red energy.
The radar showed a rapidly rising output reading.
“Shit…!”
I banked the Legion hard.
[Warning! Plasma detected!]
“……!”
KRA-BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
In an instant, a torrent of red flame swirled as if to swallow me whole.
A plasma beam powerful enough to warp space itself tore through the air, completely vaporizing a colony structure in its path.
I changed my trajectory by a hair's breadth.
The Legion spun counter-clockwise, escaping the enemy's line of fire.
‘This is no joke… that much destructive power in a single shot.’
A massive arc-shaped structure in the colony's center was half-destroyed, its debris floating in zero gravity.
[Oppa! Are you okay?!]
Hina's urgent voice hit my ears.
“I'm still in one piece. I have to take it down before it readies another shot.”
I moved out, wielding the Stormblaster XM-2.
The mech shot forward. Lasers crisscrossed through the air from all directions.
The Legion adjusted its angle minutely, weaving through the gaps.
“Good thing you're so damn big…!”
At that moment, I aimed the Stormblaster XM-2 at a gap in the enemy's side armor and fired.
KABOOM!!
A direct hit.
But only smoke billowed out; the exterior wasn't even scratched.
‘It's tough.’
[Evasion Recommended!]
A warning window flashed red on the HUD. I immediately activated the Legion's acceleration module.
“Thrusters, maximum.”
KRA-BOOM!!
In a flash, the inside of the colony warped with a crimson light. A massive heat ray split the air, wiping out the coordinates where I had just been.
Even though it only grazed me, the Legion's right exterior plating temporarily glowed red-hot.
[Temperature Rising: Exterior Panel 312°C / Cooling System Overload Warning]
“This thing… if it hits, it's game over.”
I hastily changed course, tracing an evasive trajectory. As the Legion spun diagonally along a wall to gain distance, a long sizzzzzle of superheated metal echoed from behind me.
“Damn it… what kind of monster is this thing?”
The overheated panels automatically detached in sections, forming an emergency ventilation gap.
Beyond my view, the monstrous weapon raised its head again and took aim at me.
‘…I need to find a weak spot.’
I activated the Legion's scan module.
Thick armor plating, strangely reinforced joints, even the internal heat exhaust lines—everything was on a different level from a standard weapon.
Even the central core was protected by a multi-layered heat-shielding structure.
‘No conventional weak points… No, they're all hidden.’
But after that last attack, a faint, abnormal signal was detected.
“…The upper right chest… there was a heat discharge.”
Replaying the video. I rewound one of the Legion's surveillance records and checked it in slow motion.
After firing the red heat ray, the upper right chest. A very faint, dark, narrow gap had flashed.
“…Right. In the end, high output means heat has to be vented.”
I opened a channel to Hina.
“Hina, I just confirmed a heat exhaust port on its right chest after it fired the main cannon. Check the recording and pinpoint the exact coordinates for me.”
[Roger, analyzing it right now!]
The Legion changed its trajectory again.
I laid down rapid fire to buy time. The Stormblaster's rounds continuously hammered against the enemy's exterior.
Of course, it had no effect.
[Oppa, I've got it! Upper right chest, 17-degree angle, a heat flap opens for 1.4 seconds!]
I gripped the control lever tightly.
“Time to peel off that tough hide.”