Chapter 316: Blazing Flames of the Battlefield[R-18] (34)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 316: Blazing Flames of the Battlefield[R-18] (34)
The 7th Mobile Fleet of the 3rd Battle Fleet, the Armeo.
Its primary mission was to deploy to various fronts and carry out assignments.
There were no set operations. If they were needed, they went. Even if it meant certain death, they went. It was that dangerous, and the turnover was just as fast.
This was a unit that had death for breakfast. A place where only the survivors gathered.
Is the atmosphere more relaxed because of it?
As for the captain… his competence was debatable.
The reviews I’d heard from the other soldiers weren’t bad. Strictly average. The type with no decisive strengths, but no fatal flaws either.
Still, the fact that he’d survived this long meant he was useful, at the very least.
It had been a week since we left Earth and arrived at the front lines.
“I’m bored.”
Killing time on a spaceship with nothing to do was more of an ordeal than I’d expected. In this sealed space where every breath echoed, time felt like it had come to a standstill.
“Shouldn’t some incident break out already… I want to pilot the Requiem.”
If any of the other soldiers had heard me, they would have freaked out.
Or maybe I should find a woman to fuck. There are quite a few on this ship.
And there really were. More than a few decent-looking ones, too.
I was thinking of taking a look around, but then…
[All mobile squadron pilots, report to the bridge immediately!]
…Hah, what impeccable timing.
Just a moment ago, I’d been having some lewd thoughts about one of the female mechanics, and my train of thought was completely derailed.
I clicked my tongue and turned on my heel.
The heavy sound of my boots echoed down the corridor. I reached the heart of the Armeo and entered the bridge.
As I stepped inside, I saw the captain sitting in his chair.
“You’re here.”
“Yes, sir. I came as soon as I was called. What’s going on?”
“Hm, it’s about an operation. The full briefing will begin once everyone has assembled.”
The captain crossed his arms and stared silently at the ceiling.
The bridge was quiet. A few bridge operators were working on their touchpads, and the digital combat maps at each station were constantly updating.
I stood quietly, maintaining my posture as I watched the main screen.
About a minute later…
Swoosh.
The door opened again, and the pilots began to file in one by one.
The first to enter was Lionel Vasquez.
Following him, the rest of the squadron members entered the bridge.
“All hands present, sir.”
“Everyone’s here.”
The captain slowly rose from his seat. At the same time, a holographic tactical map materialized above the control table in the center of the bridge.
The map rotated through multiple layers, updating its data link, while infrared trajectories captured by the forward surveillance network were imprinted in real-time.
In the center, a crimson warning line.
And engraved above it, the name of a single ship.
[EQUINOX]
“The Equinox. A reconnaissance team made visual contact on the frontline wide-area network.”
The captain’s voice was low and heavy.
“Just 2,300 kilometers ahead of our position in the Herse Basin. A large-scale colonial fleet has also been detected in the vicinity.”
The lights on the bridge flickered blue, and only the fingertips of the soldiers operating the terminals moved in the silence.
Tension slowly spread through the room.
“You’ve all seen the report that the 6th Battle Fleet was annihilated. This engagement is fundamentally different from the minor skirmishes we’ve had before.”
The captain reached out and swiped across the control table. The holographic map updated, displaying a threat vector along with a red trajectory.
“And… the Equinox.”
His gaze swept over the pilots.
“You all know the name. A ship that has completed numerous missions across every front without a single failure.”
He paused for a beat, his eyes quietly shifting toward me.
“Second Lieutenant Jin Seo-yun, who is here with us, has faced them directly. Before joining our fleet, he single-handedly engaged the Equinox’s deployed units, and as a result… the Equinox failed a mission for the very first time.”
A soft murmur rippled through the pilots.
“Even so… do not let your guard down.”
The captain lowered his voice.
“The Equinox we’ve detected has completely reorganized its forces. Its units, personnel, and tactics are all different from before.”
Just then, Lionel cautiously spoke up.
“Sir, the reason you’ve summoned the entire mobile squadron… is it because you intend for us to engage the Equinox directly?”
The captain didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he glanced at me out of the corner of his eye before slowly turning his head.
“Major Eisenhardt.”
Everyone’s gaze shifted to one person.
Major Elena Eisenhardt. She stepped forward without a word.
“This operation is a mission under the direct order of the 3rd Battle Fleet’s Admiral. I will now begin the tactical response briefing.”
As her fingerprint touched the terminal, the holographic display in the center of the table updated instantly. It was an operational simulation screen, combining multi-layered satellite intelligence with probe data.
“This is the Equinox’s currently confirmed route.”
On the holographic map, a single red trajectory was advancing in a smooth, steady curve around the Herse Basin.
“It is performing repeated deviating maneuvers around the outskirts of the Herse Basin. Based on our analysis of its speed intervals, intermittent rapid decelerations, and shifting patterns of radio interference frequencies—”
Elena pointed to a specific coordinate with her fingertip and spoke in a low, firm voice.
“The enemy is… openly provoking us. That is the conclusion from high command.”
The red trajectory on the main screen curved toward the Armeo like the tip of a blade.
“Next is the combat footage from the clash between the 6th Battle Fleet and the Equinox.”
Click.
With a short system chime, the holographic display switched.
The video began to play.
The blackness of space.
In the silent vacuum, a crimson flash descended like a beam of light.
The next moment, a red unit was tearing through the battlefield like a storm. It charged in a straight line with no evasive maneuvers, then executed a high-speed spin followed by a series of melee slashes.
Behind it, an indigo unit provided follow-up support, while a gray unit laid down covering fire from a high altitude, forming a perfect pincer formation.
The Federation units vanished one by one, unable to even react. Ship cannons, interception systems, even defensive turrets—all were useless.
As the combat log replayed on a loop in the center of the bridge, Elena spoke quietly.
“Three mobile weapons, newly organized by the colonial forces.”
Her gaze was fixed on the footage, where the red, gray, and indigo units tore through the battlefield, each with a different pattern.
“The gray and indigo units form a squadron and deploy organically. The red unit, however, operates as a free-role.”
On the screen, the red unit had just torn through the rear of the defensive line, shooting down two enemy units in an instant.
She took a short breath before continuing.
“In this single battle, all 35 mobile weapons belonging to the 6th Battle Fleet were annihilated.”
In an instant, the atmosphere on the bridge shifted. The sheer number of losses was overwhelming. No one spoke, but no one could take the news lightly.
“...They are, in effect, the main force that wiped out both Nemesis and the 6th Battle Fleet.”
“Crazy…”
Someone swore under their breath. But no one laughed.
Everyone felt the same way.
A red mobile weapon… The protagonist, Oh Hyun?
I’d run into him far too quickly, in the most unexpected place.
The problem was that my quest’s clear condition was to help that very same Oh Hyun establish an independent nation. And, of course, it was highly likely that the heroines would be right there beside the protagonist.
The other two units, besides the red one.
Indigo and gray.
I had no way of knowing which one was the heroine, or if they both were.
Which means I can’t kill them, and I have to go easy on them even if we fight…
It was obvious these were no ordinary units.
All three were on a completely different level from any enemy I’d faced before. Their piloting, output, mobility, melee evasion patterns…
They were so polished that any comparison was meaningless.
…This is a real headache.
While I was lost in my complicated thoughts about Oh Hyun, Lionel Vasquez quietly stepped forward.
He looked Elena straight in the eye and spoke in a low voice.
“…Are you telling us to fight those monsters?”
Elena met his gaze for a moment before nodding.
“Captain Vasquez. Unfortunately, that is correct.”
Lionel gritted his teeth. Then, the words he’d been holding back burst out.
“What… you want our small squadron to stop the bastards who crushed the 6th Battle Fleet? Does that make any sense? You’re just telling us to go die!”
His sharp voice cut through the bridge. A few soldiers flinched, and the atmosphere quickly turned icy.
Elena lowered her eyes for a moment, then raised her head resolutely.
“If we fail to stop those monsters, the entire 3rd Battle Fleet will be next to fall.”
Elena continued in a calm yet sharp tone.
“To be at the vanguard means to accept the risks. If you cannot handle that responsibility, you can step down right now.”
The bridge fell into a tense silence, so thick it was hard to breathe. Lionel Vasquez pressed his lips into a firm line and took a step back. At that moment, Elena’s gaze slowly turned to me.
“The outcome of this battle… rests on Second Lieutenant Jin Seo-yun.”
All eyes snapped to me. Elena met my gaze and said calmly,
“As you know, he is the pilot who single-handedly faced and destroyed all of the Equinox’s previous mobile weapons.”
Then she took a step closer and added in a low voice,
“He also has a record of besting Jack Spencer of the Zeros Code in a contest of skill.”
The moment she said that, the very air on the bridge changed.
Anyone who had spent time on the front lines knew the name ‘Jack Spencer.’
He was the ace pilot the Earth Federation prided itself on. A monster who maintained an S-rank or higher performance in any environment.
Now, everyone on this bridge had a clear understanding of who I was.
After a short silence, Lionel Vasquez let out a small, hollow laugh and muttered,
“…Hah. So our rookie bested the Jack Spencer…”
A few faint chuckles spread at his words. The tension that had frozen the air began to thaw.
Elena looked forward again and added,
“Therefore, Second Lieutenant Jin is the key to this operation. Our forces must focus on providing him with full frontal support. His unit is a special A-class model provided by the Licencia Group. We’ve determined its performance is more than a match for the enemy.”
Vasquez shrugged.
“Well, can’t be helped. Guess we’ll have to trust our rookie.”
At that, Carla Stren, who was standing next to me, poked me in the ribs with her elbow.
“Honey, you have to make sure we don’t die, okay?”
The heavy tension that had filled the bridge dissipated, if only for a moment.
Just then, Elena took another step forward.
“And now for the most critical part of this mission.”
Her voice echoed low. On the screen, the mission overview reappeared.
“While we lure out and engage the Equinox, the 3rd Battle Fleet will attack the colonial main fleet from the flank and retake the Nemesis Colony.”
She continued,
“In other words, the true outcome of this battle depends on how much time we can buy.”
Elena’s blue eyes gleamed.
“The operation will commence at 1800 hours sharp. All mobile forces are to be boarded and on standby by that time.”
As she finished, the pilots of the 7th Mobile Squadron straightened up in unison.
Their postures were sharp, and the tension of men facing battle settled back onto their faces.
The jokes and strange sense of ease from moments before were quietly tucked away, as if they had never been there.
Soon, the captain’s deep, low voice rang out.
“—That concludes the briefing. All squadrons, check your unit status and stand by.”