Chapter 347: Blazing Flames of the Battlefield[R-18] (65)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 347: Blazing Flames of the Battlefield[R-18] (65)
I'd barely managed to escape their encirclement, but the pursuit was relentless.
They weren't just chasing me; they were tenacious, their determination to never let me go palpable. The most annoying of them all were the Zeros Code bastards.
I'd taken one of them down easily before... but the remaining four were the problem.
“Hah, they’re like flies.”
All four of them moved in coordination, focusing on me. They approached from different directions and altitudes, crossing paths to block my front, seal my rear, and harass me from the sides.
They hadn't attacked like this before. They were arrogant fools who had charged in alone, drunk on their own skills, but at some point, they had suddenly switched to a coordinated assault.
[Seo-yun! At this rate, the Astrea won't last much longer! All the Hounds are out of commission except for Colonel Sheryl's unit!]
I tried to turn my view to check on the Astrea’s situation, but—
“Tsk.”
I yanked the control stick. I swerved the unit sharply to the left, evading and blocking the beam fire from behind with my shield.
Immediately, the pincer attack continued. Two units closed in from the flanks, changing their attack angles. I timed my counterattack.
I turned my left-side port to prepare a shot, but they pulled back precisely, just before entering my line of fire.
‘This isn’t so easy now that they’re taking it seriously.’
Their objective was clear: to pin me down in this sector. Even knowing that, breaking free wasn't as easy as I'd thought.
“It’d be a lot easier if they just charged in recklessly like before.”
While dealing with the Zeros Code's coordinated attack, I quickly scanned the flow of the battlefield.
‘Pursuing ships... about two of them.’
The Astrea was so fast that only a limited number of enemies could keep up. There were more behind them, but the distance between us was steadily growing.
‘Just a little more. If I follow this trajectory...’
Soon, we would reach the ambush point where Brol had hidden his ship.
Until now, we had been running. Now, it was time for payback.
With Brol, I could turn the tables and counterattack the pursuing Federation fleet.
I immediately opened a communication channel.
“Major. Please proceed to Brol’s coordinates now.”
[Understood. I’ll prepare immediately.]
*
“Captain. We've got a signal.”
Brol confirmed the message that appeared on the screen.
“It's from Elena. She says she's coming here with Seo-yun.”
Lillian leaned over.
“That crazy bastard. Looks like he actually managed to rescue the princess and escape from there.”
Carla asked Brol with a relieved expression.
“What’s the message say?”
“They're being pursued by Federation forces. He wants us to wipe out the pursuers with our cannons.”
Lillian said.
“Looks like it’s time to move. Carla, I’ve adjusted Seo-yun’s old unit so you can use it.”
“Okay~ I’ll go get ready then. Let’s go, boys~”
“Yes, ma’am!”
The men who had lost a drinking bet to Carla a few days ago all rose from their seats and followed her.
Brol immediately issued his orders.
“Prepare for bombardment. Deactivate stealth on my signal.”
“Yes, sir.”
Before long, Federation ships began to appear on the screen. Pursuit battleships following the trajectory. And in front of them, a single ship fleeing as if its life depended on it.
Moving alongside it, as if to protect it, was a black unit. Red eyes. Sharp contours. Its jet-black exterior stood out at a glance, even on the battlefield.
Brol narrowed his eyes and muttered.
“Hmm... That one’s an ally, I assume?”
Lillian retorted nonchalantly.
“You can tell it’s him just by his movements. I wonder where he got his hands on something like that.”
“The princess must have gotten him another one.”
Lillian stared at the screen for a moment, then narrowed her eyes and muttered.
“But... this is the first time I’ve seen that bastard get pushed back like this.”
Brol quietly pointed a finger at the identification mark.
“Zeros Code. They certainly live up to their name.”
Lillian zoomed in on the screen.
“It’s completely different from the known models. The frontal armor has been changed to a composite material... And the output? Just by eyeballing it, it looks to be at least double the original specs.”
“We can analyze that later. For now, let’s deal with what’s in front of us.”
As he finished speaking, he slowly raised his hand and activated the bombardment command interface.
“Deactivate stealth. All pilots, on standby for launch. On my signal, we’re blowing the Federation battleships to bits first.”
“Sir!”
The bridge instantly became a hive of activity. His subordinates input the coordinates, taking aim at the enemy ships in a flash.
“Targets, Federation capital ships following orbital paths 1 and 2.”
“Port and starboard turrets activated. High-temperature plasma cannons, beginning to charge!”
“Charging complete! Ready to fire!”
“Tear them apart!”
—KWWWWAAAAAAAANG!!!
A crimson flash tore through space, obliterating a Federation battleship.
A single red trajectory streaked across the void. In an instant, it slammed directly into the Federation battleship that had been pursuing the Astrea.
—KWWWWAAAAANG!
Red debris scattered across space, and the units following behind it all broke formation.
Just then, five new heat signatures appeared on the radar.
“They’re here.”
The Zeros Code bastards must have spotted them too, because they showed a momentary opening.
I didn't miss that chance. I rotated my unit and broke out of the encirclement. At the same time, I took precise aim at the Zeros Code unit that had shown a weakness.
Dead center of the cockpit. I pulled the trigger. But unfortunately, I didn't kill him. The bastard reacted just in time, barely dodging the shot.
Instead, his entire left arm was blown off.
“Shame.”
I watched the bastards quickly increase the distance and fall back.
The encirclement that had been forming loosened, and their movements became much more cautious.
‘They must be flustered. A new enemy just appeared out of nowhere.’
It was then.
[Honey~ Are you okay?]
“Carla? Was that you in there?”
[Yep~ Lillian adjusted it so I could use it... Still, this thing doesn't suit me.]
“Be careful anyway. If you mess up, you could wreck your body.”
[Okay~ And that ship being chased? We’ll cover it.]
“Good. Support them.”
As soon as the communication ended, five allied units moved toward the Astrea in unison.
I remained in a standoff with the Zeros Code, watching their reactions.
Sensing that the situation had taken a strange turn, their movements gradually became defensive, and they slowly began to retreat.
“Looks like they’ve decided to fall back.”
The remaining Federation battleships also ceased their pursuit.
[Seo-yun, you can come back now.]
I immediately turned my unit around.
*
The Federation forces had retreated, but there was no telling when they might resume their pursuit. We arrived at the temporary base Captain Torno had told us about, hiding the ship within an external wall structure and taking a quiet rest.
“Haaaah...”
I stretched leisurely.
“Does that feel good, Master?”
Su-hyeon, who was pressed against my back, asked as she kneaded my shoulders with her fingertips.
“Ah... that’s amazing... Right there, a little more.”
At my words, her hands worked deeper. I could feel the fatigue slowly melting away.
And beside me—
“Here, Oppa~ Open wide.”
Hina carefully brought the snack in her hand to my lips.
I took it in one bite without a word. As the sweet taste spread through my mouth, I nodded.
“This is good.”
“Heehee~ Right? I made it myself.”
“Good job.”
I gave Hina’s head a light pat and turned my gaze.
In a corner of the ship, Adel and Lillian were sitting face to face. The two were passionately exchanging words about something.
I could actually hear their entire conversation. The problem was... I couldn't understand a single word of it.
“Ms. Lillian, you’re truly incredible. To modify the Requiem like this and even create a system called ACS... This auxiliary system, its very structure is so innovative.”
“The Titan System you created was no joke either. Honestly, I thought there was no one in this world better than me. But after seeing your work... I just realized I was a frog in a well.”
The two women were stuck together like colleagues reunited after ten years, talking about that kind of stuff all day long.
...Maintenance terminology, computational structures, particle output values, reaction curves?
Words I couldn't comprehend flew back and forth. It was practically a foreign language. So I just... decided to ignore them.
Meanwhile, in another corner, Sheryl and Elena were sitting quietly, sipping drinks. Neither of them spoke much, but there was an atmosphere of subtle understanding between them.
They mostly talked about what was to come, and their worries about an even more uncertain future. Even in that atmosphere, Sheryl would occasionally tease Elena playfully, and each time, Elena would blush and glance my way in embarrassment.
They got along quickly, probably because they were both former soldiers.
And Mason, one of the protagonist's party members, had disappeared with Brol earlier, arms slung over each other's shoulders, to get wasted.
The problem was the protagonist bastard right in front of me.
He’d been staring holes through me for a while now with a strangely sticky and greasy gaze, without saying a word. The silence had dragged on for quite some time, and I was starting to get annoyed.
“...Hey.”
“Yes?”
“It's creepy when a guy stares at me like that. If you have something to say, say it. Otherwise, get lost.”
My tone must have been cold, because Oh Hyun flinched. But before he could react, Lisa, who was stuck to his side like a nanny, snapped.
“Don’t you think that’s a bit harsh?”
“Then why has he been staring at me like some gay bastard! Hey, you... are you gay?”
“N-No?! I like women! I definitely do!”
“Then if you have something to say, just say it, you half-wit!”
At that, Lisa’s eyebrows shot up.
“Hey! Don't talk to Hyun like that, you perverted bastard!”
Lisa’s comment made Hina jump to her feet.
“Lisa, would you mind not talking to my Oppa like that? He might be a pervert, but he doesn't deserve to be insulted like that! Oppa is just... a little, um, aggressive, and a bit... reckless, and he does crazy things sometimes, but—”
I gave Hina a light flick on the head for her nonsense.
“Ow! Why'd you hit me!”
“Because you were spouting nonsense.”
Hina rubbed her head with an aggrieved look on her face.
“Was I wrong?”
“Just be quiet and put another snack in my mouth. And fan me. It's hot in here.”
“Hmph... Why do you always pick on me...”
Hina pouted her lips slightly and silently picked up a fan. The sight was so cute I almost let out a chuckle, but I held it in.
At that moment, Oh Hyun, who had been watching, let out a small laugh.
“You two are really funny.”
“Don’t laugh.”
“...Yes, sir.”
“So.”
I turned my head slightly to look at Oh Hyun again.
“If you have something to say, spit it out. If you just keep rolling your eyes without talking, I’m going to punch you in the face.”
Oh Hyun flinched and straightened his posture. After a moment of hesitation, he carefully opened his mouth.
“...How can I become as strong as you, Mr. Seo-yun?”
I smirked.
“Like me? You couldn't do it even if you died and came back to life.”