Chapter 322: Blazing Flames of the Battlefield[R-18] (40)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 322: Blazing Flames of the Battlefield[R-18] (40)
Red lines crisscrossed the thick electronic map in the Arsenos Command strategy room.
An encirclement by the Earth Federation, centered on the Nemesis Colony. And within it, the response signals of allied units were vanishing one by one.
“…We cannot simply hand over Nemesis like this.”
An old general with the rank of lieutenant general spoke, his face grim. The commander sitting to his right chimed in.
“That’s right. If it falls into their hands again… it will become a massive headache.”
“…So, what do you propose?”
A general who had been silent until now raised his head.
“Optimism is meaningless in a situation like this. There is only one thing we can do now.”
He took out a terminal and entered his security credentials. At the same time, a red circle lit up on the holographic map.
“We will… use that.”
For a moment, the temperature in the room seemed to drop.
“…Don’t tell me.”
“Fire Fall.”
“That’s… insane. Not just our allies, but civilians will be caught in it too!”
“But we can’t let the Earth Federation bastards have it again!”
“Dammit! We should at least leave the civilians out of it! What crime have they committed?!”
“Do you think victory can be achieved without sacrifice?”
He spoke with finality.
“There is no other choice. It is better to burn Nemesis down with them inside than to hand it over. And if we can annihilate the surviving enemy fleet in the process, all the better.”
*
[Enemy sighted. 12 o'clock, straight ahead!]
A red signal flashed on the cockpit screen. One hour had passed since the Nemesis Recapture Operation began. So far, 37 enemy units destroyed.
Thirteen more kills to go to reach my target of fifty. But inside the Requiem, overheating alarms were already blaring.
[Lieutenant, the Requiem's temperature has exceeded dangerous levels. It is advisable to fall back and cool down.]
Elena’s voice came through the bridge. I responded curtly, my face expressionless.
“Understood.”
There wasn’t much energy left, either. It would be better to take a break and then redeploy.
The cockpit thermometer blinked red as the system shifted into a semi-forced cooling mode. Thanks to its special nano-coating, the Requiem's armor began to slowly shift from black to gray.
I pulled the control stick, turning the unit around. As I headed toward the rear where the Armeo was positioned, the state of the battlefield came into view.
The tide had already turned in our favor. All the pilots of the 7th Mobile Squadron were still alive.
[We made it out alive thanks to you, kid! Thanks!]
Basques’s familiar voice came over the comms.
“Well then, you can treat me to something good later.”
[Once we're back on Earth. I know a pretty good spot, you can look forward to it.]
Before he could finish, the comms channel was overridden.
It was Elena.
[Enough with the chatter. Begin docking procedures immediately, Lieutenant.]
“Yes, Major. Returning now.”
The Armeo’s hangar came into view. The Requiem’s automatic docking system activated, and the unit landed smoothly.
As the cockpit hatch opened, maintenance crew members rushed over. The first to arrive, a young technician, greeted me with a bright face.
“Lieutenant Jin! That was incredible!”
His name tag read ‘Rick McDowell’.
“37 kills… to get a record like that in a single day… The rumors that you beat Jack Spencer weren't just rumors!”
I let out a small laugh. I was getting used to this kind of reaction.
“What’s the unit’s status?”
“Ah, yes! It’s overheated, but the cooling system is fine. It should be fully operational in about 30 minutes.”
I gave a slight nod.
“Good. I’ll get some rest in the meantime.”
Rick’s eyes widened in surprise.
“You’re going out again?”
“Yeah, it’s not over yet.”
“B-But… it looks like we’ve already won…. There’s no need to take such a risk.”
I didn’t need to hear the rest. I had plenty of stamina left, and more importantly… I was bored.
I walked down the corridor toward the lounge. A few pilots had already arrived.
One of them, a familiar voice, called out to me.
“Honey~! Over here!”
It was Carla. She had taken off her pilot suit and was wearing a simple t-shirt over her military uniform. The deeply scooped neckline naturally revealed her ample cleavage.
‘…I’ve got about 30 minutes. Should I drag her somewhere quiet and fuck her brains out?’
As I approached, Carla naturally sat down right next to me, leaning in so close our arms were almost touching.
“You were amazing, honey. 37 kills… I’ll give you a proper celebration tonight.”
She whispered softly into my ear.
“How about it? My bedroom… or anywhere you want, anytime?”
“Sounds good. But… I have to go back out in 30 minutes.”
Carla’s lips formed a slight pout.
“Aww~ It looks like it’s already over. You’re going out again?”
I smiled faintly.
“There are still enemies left.”
“Hmph, well, do what you want. More importantly, should we go somewhere quiet?”
I took Carla, who was smiling slyly, out of the lounge and led her to my room.
*
“Hngh… my pussy’s breaking…♡”
Carla’s sobs echoed from the bed. Her body was a mess, her legs trembling—she was the very image of a completely broken female.
Her breasts were flushed red, and semen was dripping down between her thighs. I placed my hand back on her reddened, gaping entrance.
“There’s still 10 minutes left, you know?”
Just then, an alarm began to sound throughout the ship.
—Wee-woo! Wee-woo!
[Emergency! The enemy fleet is in a full retreat from the rear of Nemesis! All pilots, report to the hangar immediately. I repeat.]
I stopped my hand. Carla looked up at me with a dazed expression, panting for breath.
“A sudden retreat. Are they trying to save their remaining forces?”
I stood up. On my way to the shower, I gave Carla’s ass one last slap.
—Smack!
She let out a faint moan, her body trembling.
“You’re… truly… insane…”
I didn’t answer.
After a quick shower, I stepped out into the corridor. The ship-wide broadcast was still repeating.
[Colonial forces are in full retreat. Reason unknown. Currently analyzing intelligence.]
When I reached the hangar, most of the pilots had already assembled.
Captain Basques, Gareth, Mina, Ron… The Captain and Elena were also on site.
“Here’s the current situation,” the Captain said curtly.
“The enemy fleet is suddenly disengaging from the battlefield. We’ve received orders from high command. Pursue and annihilate the retreating enemy fleet.”
Basques frowned.
“Isn’t it a trap? This retreat is too fast.”
“We’ve analyzed that possibility,” Elena said, stepping forward.
“According to intercepted colonial military communications, they’ve decided to withdraw to ‘minimize losses.’ Our current assessment is that their forces inside the Nemesis Colony are also rapidly pulling out.”
A heavy silence fell over the room after Elena finished speaking.
“Something feels off…” Basques muttered, his brow furrowed. Beside him, Mina nodded silently.
The Captain cut through their anxiety with a single command.
“The 7th Mobile Squadron will launch immediately.”
The order was short and decisive.
“Your objective is the complete annihilation of the retreating enemy fleet. Don’t let a single one of them escape.”
—KRAAANG!
The Requiem shot out of the hangar.
As the boosters fired, the unit exited the ship and accelerated, sliding into the darkness of space. I adjusted the HUD and turned the unit’s nose toward the Nemesis Colony.
Between the stars, red heat signatures were disappearing as they fled the battlefield. The retreating enemy units were being mercilessly torn apart by our pursuit force.
They tried to fight back, but the tide of battle had already turned. I picked off the fleeing enemies one by one, quietly counting.
“…48, 49… 50.”
The target number at the top of the HUD turned green. 50 kills. A perfect finish.
Just as I was thinking about heading back, the comms channel opened.
[This is the Armeo. New orders have arrived from high command.]
[The 7th Mobile Squadron will cooperate with the 3rd Mobile Squadron to enter the Nemesis Colony and begin occupation operations.]
[Annihilate all remaining colonial forces inside the Nemesis Colony.]
Reigniting the Requiem’s boosters, I banked the unit toward the colony’s exterior.
The colony’s entry zone.
Dozens of allied units were entering one by one, following the orbital path. Following them, the Requiem passed through the entry corridor.
The entry point was a pre-designated large gate, designed to allow multiple units to approach simultaneously. As the Requiem entered the colony, the sensor screen lit up.
As Nemesis’s internal atmosphere was exposed, the Requiem automatically switched to atmospheric flight mode.
—Thud, thud, thud…
The sound of landings echoed as units touched down inside the colony.
The control center had already begun assigning missions to each unit.
[7th Mobile Squadron, disperse and enter. Each unit, proceed to your assigned sector and begin cleanup.]
Coordinates were projected onto my HUD.
The city center, residential districts, industrial complexes… and my sector was the military district.
I lowered my altitude and slowly moved in.
A few allied units passed by in the urban sector. They looked less tense and more… complacent.
“Entering,” I whispered. The Requiem’s sensors turned orange as it descended closer to the ground.
The military district was vast and quiet. There were no signs of bombing, no traces of battle. Instead, there were people.
Arsenos soldiers who had laid down their arms.
[This is Captain Basques. The colonial forces are surrendering voluntarily.]
[Same here. No resistance.]
Everyone was experiencing the same thing. But I didn’t take my hands off the controls.
‘Strange.’
My senses were reacting to something deep underground.
‘What is it?’
Just then, Gareth’s voice came over the comms.
[Uh, this is strange. There are unidentified structures here.]
[What is this…?]
This time it was Mina’s voice, laced with confusion.
[I’m picking up a strange signal. Like an energy wave… a massive one…]
I expanded the Requiem’s scanner to its maximum range. A rapidly intensifying energy wave was detected coming from the colony’s central area and a facility in the northern sector.
“What the hell?”
At that moment, an urgent voice cut through the comms channel.
[All units, retreat immediately! I repeat, retreat from the colony immediately!]
It was Elena. Her voice, unlike usual, was trembling.
As soon as I received the transmission, a warning flashed on the Requiem’s detection system.
[Warning: Massive energy concentration detected.]
[Multiple unstable nuclear reaction signals detected.]
[Immediate evacuation recommended.]
“What? Don’t tell me…”
The thought had barely crossed my mind when red flames erupted all across the Nemesis Colony. The internal structures began to crack and crumble.
“Dammit!”
I yanked the Requiem sharply toward the exterior. The units of the 7th Mobile Squadron were trying to escape the colony in a state of chaos.
[Those crazy bastards… Are they burning the civilians too?!]
Lionel Basques’s scream tore through the comms. At the same time, the Requiem’s external camera captured a massive ball of energy erupting from beneath the ground in the central district.
[Get out of here, now!]
Someone shouted.
Faster than the cockpit sensors could track, the world flashed white.
—KWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!
A shock that felt like my consciousness was being torn apart. The armor encasing the unit screamed as the screen was engulfed in a blinding white flash.
It felt as if every single one of my cells was screaming as it scattered into the air.