Chapter 346: Blazing Flames of the Battlefield[R-18] (64)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 346: Blazing Flames of the Battlefield[R-18] (64)
“Multiple units confirmed launching from the enemy ship Astrea. Four have been identified as Hound series! However…”
The operator’s voice paused for a moment. Something was appearing on the screen.
“…One unidentified unit is approaching at high speed! It’s breaking through our defense network!”
The commander looked up.
“Tsk… Damned criminals, running wild without knowing their place… Order the entire fleet to intercept the Astrea directly. Contact the Zeros Code unit as well.”
“Yes, sir. All standby forces, commencing battle deployment! …But—!”
The operator’s voice cracked. The screen flickered, and warning alarms blared from several consoles at once.
“What is it?” the commander shouted, his head snapping up.
“The unidentified unit currently approaching… its speed is abnormal! It’s charging straight at us, completely ignoring all previous trajectory predictions!”
Before he even finished speaking, a series of red warning windows popped up on the tactical monitor.
“Report! A-01, A-02, A-03… all units confirmed destroyed! Additional losses, B-07 through B-10 are all lost!”
The operator’s voice trembled. The Federation Army’s main units, which had been positioned at the front, were being shot down second by second by a single enemy unit.
The commander gritted his teeth and yelled, “What are the others doing?! Where is Zeros Code?!”
“The Zeros Code unit is still awaiting launch orders, sir!”
“Launch them immediately! And notify the entire fleet to reform the line! All battleships on the left and right flanks, concentrate fire on point 305. Take that monstrous unit down, now!”
A flood of communications erupted between the ships as their cannons began to move. The entire fleet turned to face forward, concentrating its firepower on the trajectory cutting through its center.
But just then—
“Port-side ship number two has been destroyed!”
“What the…”
On the screen, a magnified image of the unidentified unit appeared. Its black armor and glowing red eyes made it look like the grim reaper itself.
“The… Knight of the Apocalypse…?”
At someone’s murmur, the commander’s brow furrowed.
“What did you just say?”
“W-well… its appearance is similar to the unit that’s been the subject of so many rumors lately… the one they call the Knight of the Apocalypse.”
He had heard the rumors, too. A black unit that had recently been causing chaos in the Arsenos sector.
Moreover… the name ‘Knight of the Apocalypse’ had appeared frequently in recent reports from the Federation’s front lines.
“That unit… it actually exists?”
The commander’s breathing grew short.
At that moment, another alarm sounded across the bridge.
『Center line, A-14, A-16, A-17 destroyed. No unit response.』
The commander stared intently at the screen. His eyes caught the black-armored unit simultaneously shooting down multiple Federation units.
The defensive line was still holding, but with every move that monster made, another friendly unit vanished.
“…You monstrous bastard…”
The commander’s hand slammed down on the desk.
“Zeros Code! Why haven’t you launched yet?! The only ones who can stop that thing are—”
Just then, a communication line opened.
[This is Zeros Code Unit-07, Lieutenant Colonel Lucien Brax. We will engage the unidentified unit.]
*
The unit itself was practically a weapon. Its overall balance was even more perfect than the Requiem’s, and the density and responsiveness of its armor were on another level entirely. Simply calling it ‘strong’ wasn’t enough.
“Heh… So this is an S-Class unit?”
[How is it, Seoyoon? Do you like my present?]
As Adele’s voice flowed through the comms, I let out a small laugh from the cockpit.
“This is so good… a full day of kissing your lips wouldn’t be enough to thank you.”
[You can do that all you want later. For now, let me finish explaining the unit’s specs.]
She continued in a calm voice.
[The armor is a next-generation composite armor developed with the Licencia Group’s proprietary technology, the Titan Armor Plate. It has a multi-layered energy dispersion field over a high-density carbon alloy, designed to withstand everything from piercing railguns and high-heat plasma to EMP shocks.]
“So its defense is insane, too. This thing is basically a fortress.”
[That’s right. In the testing phase, this armor withstood three direct hits from a battleship’s main cannon. But the real key is the core inside.]
“You mean the energy system?”
[Yes. It’s equipped with a T-NF Drive, a high-density nuclear fusion core. The original plan was to install a higher-grade core than the prototype used in the old Requiem… It was completed just before I was captured here, and luckily, I was able to install it in this unit.]
“This isn’t a machine, it’s a mobile strategic weapon.”
[Exactly. It has no output limit, so it’s capable of leveling an entire battlefield. Which means… it must never, ever fall into enemy hands.]
“That goes without saying.”
Just then, the radar pinged. Five heat signals were approaching at high speed.
[Seoyoon! The units approaching now are all Zeros Code. And they’re all the Federation’s new mobile weapons. You have to be careful!]
Hina’s voice came through the comms.
“Oh yeah?”
A smile crept onto my face. The Federation’s prized Zeros Code, an elite-only unit. I’d heard they were incredibly skilled, and I was looking forward to it.
“You’d better… put up a bit of a fight. It’s no fun if it’s too easy.”
I lightly pressed the trigger with my fingertip. The forward view split into multiple screens, and the tactical HUD began sequentially analyzing the targets. Each unit’s trajectory, speed, and response delay appeared overlaid on the tactical interface.
“Just a light greeting.”
The fixed long-range launcher stowed on the unit’s back deployed to the front. The long, sleek housing and the red collectors at its tip flashed brightly.
I adjusted the alignment with the aiming lever in my left hand.
The HUD automatically generated a firing correction line, and the crosshairs locked onto the lead unit.
KRA-BOOM!!
The cannon vibrated once, and my vision momentarily distorted into a red haze. The projectile, wreathed in high-temperature energy, shot forward, piercing through space in a perfectly straight line.
“Ooh, the firepower is insane.”
A single shot had enough power to blow a battleship to smithereens. But unfortunately, this one didn’t connect.
The lead unit, my target, had altered its trajectory by a hair’s breadth. A reverse thrust. The timing was perfect. If it had been a split-second slower, the unit would have been vaporized.
“So this is the Federation’s elite, huh?”
Their reaction speed, their positioning—it was a level of skill that couldn’t be achieved with just one or two real battles. And, apparently not appreciating my welcome, they immediately returned fire.
A barrage of shots rained down from long range.
I gently pushed and pulled the control stick, tilting the unit. I evaded the beams, letting them graze past as I quickly scanned my surroundings to assess the situation.
It wasn’t just Zeros Code chasing me. Dozens of Federation units in the area were swarming me all at once. But only the Zeros Code units were actually keeping up.
The difference in unit performance was too stark. The Federation’s standard units couldn’t even come close. In the end, all they could do was provide suppressive fire from a distance.
I intentionally lowered my speed. Just within reach, but not quite. I maintained that ambiguous distance, never letting them catch me but never letting them go, and shot them down the moment they fell into my trap.
—BOOM.
With every one of my movements, I could almost hear the Zeros Code pilots grinding their teeth. They couldn’t catch me, and they had to watch as Federation units fell one by one before their eyes. It was obvious how much I was getting on their nerves.
‘I’d like to enjoy this a little longer, but…’
The Astrea came into view at the edge of my vision. It was maintaining its course, but its speed was too slow. Four Hounds were on the deck, fending off enemy assaults, and the ship’s internal interception systems were defending desperately.
But I was worried. Although I was eliminating threats here and there, the number of Federation forces wasn’t decreasing. In fact, it was growing. For every one I shot down, twice as many took its place.
If I kept dragging this out, our side would be the first to fall, whether by ambush or encirclement. I took a short breath and opened a channel to Elena.
“Major. If I clear a path ahead, can the Astrea outrun the Federation pursuit?”
[One moment.]
A few seconds later, Elena’s voice returned.
[…It’s possible.]
“Excellent.”
My gaze shifted to the forward coordinates at the top of my console. The Federation fleet was spread out in parallel lines along the orbital path.
“Alright, I’m going to wipe out the Federation fleet in the Astrea’s forward path. Have the Astrea break through immediately.”
Finishing my sentence, I pressed the red button on my left.
—Click.
A short, high-frequency tone echoed inside the unit. A red deployment notification window appeared on the display.
【TITAN-OVER-CHAIN SYSTEM ONLINE】
【SWITCHING OUTPUT TO EXCEED MODE】
【AUTO-TARGETING ENEMY GROUP…… COMPLETE】
The Requiem’s armor plates opened. The gaps between the divided sections slowly began to glow red.
The next moment, all the weapons stowed on its back shot out at once. The deployed high-output armaments sequentially aligned with the line of fire.
And aimed forward, all firepower was unleashed simultaneously.
—KRRRA-KABOOOOOOOM!!
“Wow.”
A gasp of admiration escaped my lips. The enemies exploded in a straight line and vanished. The Federation fleet disappeared in sequence as they were destroyed.
As I was marveling at the sight, I saw a single unit emerge from beyond the line of fire, charging as if in a rage.
A Zeros Code unit was rushing straight at me.
I twisted the control stick. The Requiem’s frame responded, turning its body lightly.
At the same time, a high-output blade swung past me. I used the momentum to spin the unit 180 degrees, maneuvering behind the enemy that had approached from my left.
My cockpit view was filled with the enemy’s rear. I pressed the controller in my left hand halfway down.
A single-type impulse blade shot out from below the Requiem’s knee, its edge glinting with the recoil. The blade, soaring diagonally, precisely sliced through the back of the Zeros Code unit.
Shoving the machine, now just a heap of scrap metal, to the side, I spoke.
“Major, move out now.”
[Confirmed.]
Simultaneous with Elena’s response, the sound of the ship’s engines from behind me rose sharply. Pushing its power to the max, it accelerated forward along the path I had created.
『16 SECONDS UNTIL EXITING FEDERATION DEFENSE PERIMETER』
Within the Requiem’s field of view, the Astrea began to advance rapidly. A few Federation units, having belatedly come to their senses, tried to interfere, but the Hounds remaining on the Astrea’s deck wiped them all out.
But it wasn’t over. The front line was gone, but the Federation’s total military power hadn’t collapsed. The rear formations were already regrouping. A new squadron, deploying around the command ship, was quickly turning to block the Astrea.
New heat signatures were appearing on the radar one after another.
“Of course, they wouldn’t let us go that easily.”
I turned the unit. Pushing the acceleration lever, I cranked the thruster output to its maximum. The Requiem moved, leaving an intense afterglow in its wake.