episode_0026

[I’ll have to get more compensation when this is over.]

With the crimson-black mech’s declaration, Titan and I simultaneously charged at him.

From behind, the sounds of intense combat reached us, as Yuna and Doctor faced other Nemesis mechs and Chronos mercenaries, but now, only this crimson devil stood before us.

[Kekeke! Let’s have some fun!]

Titan’s Atlas took the lead, unleashing a barrage of gatling fire and missiles, drawing Ace’s attention.

Not missing the opening, I used my Kinetic Flow skill to cut into Ace’s blind spot and swung my energy sword.

Our coordination was quite sharp.

But Ace skillfully used energy shields in both hands, nullifying Titan’s firepower and barely deflecting my sword attack.

‘He reacted to that?’

Until now, when I used the Kinetic Flow skill, opposing mechs couldn’t even react.

His reflexes were incredibly sharp.

After several exchanges, Titan and I gradually began to be pushed back.

Deep wounds were gouged into various parts of the Atlas’s armor, and my Harrier also took several hits from unavoidable attacks, with warning alarms constantly blaring.

[Damn it, that guy… he’s too strong!]

Titan roared, huffing.

Just then, Doctor’s analytical voice urgently cut in.

[That mech’s energy signature is abnormally high and unstable. I’m not certain, but it’s similar to the energy patterns observed in augmented humans.]

Augmented human? Titan reacted immediately to that word.

[Did that half-dead bastard become a corporate dog and turn himself into a test subject?]

As Titan’s taunt echoed through the channel, the crimson-black Ace, who had maintained his composure until then, let out a furious roar.

[Shut your mouth.]

With a shout filled with rage, Ace’s movements changed explosively.

His previous calm movements were nowhere to be found.

He began to push us back even more fiercely.

[This is my second chance! Trash like you can’t interfere!]

Ace deflected Titan’s attack with an energy shield, then charged straight at him, striking the Atlas’s massive body with the shield.

Thud!

With a tremendous thud, the Atlas was knocked back, its stance greatly disrupted.

At the same time, he sprayed something like an auxiliary thruster from the shield on his left arm, moving at an unpredictable angle, and delivered a sharp kick towards the side of my Harrier.

[Ugh!]

Unable to dodge in time, the side armor took a heavy impact.

The mech staggered and slid several meters.

Warning lights flashed wildly.

Titan also quickly regained his stance, but a part of his chest armor was dented.

Ace didn’t stop.

He now wielded the energy shields in both hands like weapons, attacking Titan and me alternately.

A sharp shield edge grazed the Harrier’s arm, leaving a deep gash, and one of the Atlas’s missile pods was shattered and torn off by his strike.

We desperately defended and counterattacked, but were helplessly pushed back.

‘If this continues, it’ll be dangerous!’

The silhouette of an old power plant visible far beyond the collapsed factory buildings. Suddenly, a memory flashed through my mind like lightning.

The railgun in Sector Echo-14.

In the game, it was a powerful one-shot weapon that was already broken, only allowing players to acquire its blueprint.

I hastily cross-referenced the tactical map data with the surrounding terrain.

[Titan!]

I urgently called out to him.

[One minute, just one minute. We have a chance.]

[What?]

Through Titan’s comms, the sounds of intense impacts as the Atlas was hit reached me.

He was silent for a moment.

In this critical moment, asking him to buy just one minute was akin to suicide.

But his answer was unexpected.

[…Alright! One minute.]

With Titan’s resolute cry, the Atlas charged forward as if abandoning all defense.

The gatling guns on its shoulders were used like shields to block enemy attacks instead of spitting fire.

A desperate struggle solely to buy time.

[Foolish!]

Ace shouted in annoyance and began to unleash a furious assault on the Atlas.

I didn’t miss that opening.

Igniting the Harrier’s boosters to maximum output and leaving the battlefield, I flew at full speed towards the abandoned power plant in my memory.

Before long, the half-collapsed, abandoned small power plant building, identical to what I’d seen in the game, came into view.

“This is it.”

I found a hidden hangar in the corner of the collapsed control room.

Inside the dusty hangar, a massive railgun, identical in shape to what I’d seen in the game, was mounted, sputtering unstable sparks.

I couldn’t tell if it was a prototype or an abandoned failure, but now, there was no other choice.

I quickly activated the synchronization system with the Harrier and forcibly attached the massive railgun to the mech’s shoulder.

[Overload warning, limit exceeded.]

Powerful electromagnetic noise erupted from the railgun, unstablely connected to the mech’s system, causing the cockpit’s instrument panel to flicker momentarily.

“One shot is enough. Hold on.”

I re-entered the Harrier and ignited the boosters.

During the short time it took to return to the battlefield, the signal indicating Titan’s status grew weaker and weaker.

Finally, the battlefield came into view.

It was a dreadful sight.

The Atlas was barely standing, its left arm and leg completely destroyed, and its entire armor was tattered.

The crimson-black Nemesis Ace stood before the Atlas, preparing to deliver the final blow.

[Is this the end?]

Titan’s voice, tinged with resignation, faintly reached me.

I aimed the unstable railgun mounted on the Harrier’s shoulder at Ace.

Ace paused momentarily at my sudden appearance and the presence of the massive railgun.

Without hesitation, I pulled the firing trigger.

With a tremendous screeching coil charging sound, the entire railgun flashed with a powerful electromagnetic discharge.

The dark metal projectile, accompanied by a sonic boom, flew, drawing a blue trajectory.

[Gah! What is this?!]

The crimson-black Nemesis Ace instinctively crossed his energy shields at the sudden threat, but the massive projectile energy fired from the unstable prototype railgun pierced his defense as if mocking it.

Shatter!

With a horrifying shattering sound, the energy shield broke apart, and red flashes and black smoke billowed up.

[…It’s too early for me to die. Oh, Mother.]

Under the tremendous impact, the crimson-black mech was sent flying dozens of meters, crashed disastrously into a factory wall, and then exploded.

Silence hung over the battlefield for a while.

[I… I survived.]

From the cockpit of the Atlas, which was barely standing, Titan’s voice, full of relief and exhaustion, emerged.

His mech no longer seemed capable of continuing combat.

I, too, barely managed to control the Harrier, which was staggering from the tremendous recoil of the railgun’s shot.

Inside the cockpit, warning alarms blared loudly.

[System overload, main power core output plummeting, weapon control system error.]

[Railgun system connection forcefully severed, unusable for re-use.]

The holographic displays on the instrument panel flickered wildly, and some systems didn’t respond at all.

The side effects of forcibly using the unstable prototype railgun were more severe than expected.

Faint sparks could be felt flickering throughout the mech. It was questionable whether normal combat operations were even possible.

Amidst the chaotic situation, Doctor’s calm voice came through the communication channel.

[Rear sector, no remaining enemy mech energy signatures. All energy in the area extinguished.]

At his words, I instinctively turned the mech’s sensors to the rear.

In the rear area, visible through the monitor, the burning wreckage of Chronos and Nemesis mechs, which Yuna and Doctor must have engaged just moments before, lay scattered.

Black smoke rose like pillars, and unextinguished flames flickered eerily in the darkness.

‘Did they take care of all of them?’

The moment I once again realized their strength, I shifted my gaze back to the condition of my own mech.

The cumbersome massive railgun attached to my shoulder. It was already inoperable due to overload, and was also the main cause of the mech’s system errors.

Without hesitation, I activated the railgun separation system.

With a dull mechanical thud, the clamps released, and the massive railgun fell limply to the ground, landing with a thump.

#

The central command and control room of Icarus Corporation, located hundreds of kilometers from Sector Echo-14.

On the colossal holographic screen, along with Doctor’s urgent request for reinforcements sent moments ago, the dreadful combat situation in Sector Echo-14 was being broadcast in real-time.

The sight of dozens of enemy signals narrowing their encirclement around four allied mechs was despair-inducing to anyone who saw it.

Commander Gideon stared at the holographic screen with a grim expression.

Behind him, dozens of operators busily worked in silence, but only a heavy silence filled the space.

The data packet sent by Doctor contained an analysis of the simultaneous appearance of Nemesis and the Chronos mercenary group, and an enemy scale far exceeding expectations.

“They even hired Chronos mercenaries?”

Gideon muttered lowly.

Deep wrinkles furrowed his brow.

Nemesis’s movements were within the expected range, but the Chronos mercenary group being mobilized as well, and on such a large scale, was unusual.

Furthermore, their ambush location and timing were too perfect.

“As if they were waiting for us to come.”

It was highly likely that all information had been exposed from the beginning, or that this mission itself was an elaborately laid trap.

Gideon’s lips trembled slightly.

He was the one who had finally approved this mission.

It was a decision made to ascertain the intentions of Nemesis, who had shown unstable movements recently.

But the outcome was spiraling towards the worst.

Just then, the heavy door at the rear of the command and control room silently opened, revealing a man.

Dressed in a neatly tailored black suit, the man had a cold smile on his face, making his emotions hard to read.

He approached Gideon with an excessively relaxed stride, unfitting for the tense atmosphere around him.

The man stood beside Gideon and briefly looked at the chaotic battlefield reflected on the holographic screen.

Not a hint of sympathy could be found in his eyes.

“Is the elite team you personally hand-picked struggling?”

His tone was sarcastic.

Gideon glared at the man without answering.

As if savoring Gideon’s glare, the man’s smile deepened.

“When one tries to hold too much in one hand, beyond their means, trouble is bound to follow.”

The man lightly patted Gideon’s shoulder and spoke.

“You said you couldn’t stand the sight of it, yet why did you come personally, Director Vance?”

“What’s wrong with visiting to see the status of an operation where the company’s important assets are deployed, Commander Gideon?”

Vance emphasized the words “important assets” slightly as he looked at Gideon.

“Then please observe quietly and leave.”

“Of course, that’s what I intend to do.”

Vance crossed his arms and stood next to Gideon.

Only a heavy silence lingered between them.