Super Drill Combination!
The Albion Mark I and the new drill tank traversed the wasteland created by Abel’s and Eirene’s attack unimpeded. The enemy forces were in such disarray that they were unable to redeploy on time.
「What an impact. The explosion’s epicenter must be near the Megareus.」
Inside the cockpit of Unit 5, waiting inside the Mark I, Kou muttered astounded by the devastation.
「Master, can you explain how powerful it was in simple terms?」
Having nothing better to do until they reached the Megareus, he asked Aimer through the connection about the attack earlier. The carrier bomb’s power had been devastating but that was in great part due to the explosion triggering in a closed environment. However, the destruction before his eyes had happened outside. The power of the attack was completely different.
Master’s personality surfaced in response to Kou’s question, she also seemed impressed by the magnitude of the explosion.
「Well, let’s see. If for example, this attack landed around Ichigaya, a crater with a radius of about 7 kilometers would be formed, turning the entire Yamanote Line railway into scorched earth. That’s some serious power.」
「Whoa…」
Kou, having used the Yamanote Line before, was left speechless. Ichigaya should be along the Shinjuku Line.
「The tremors measured by the Fortress Area at the time of the explosion reached above magnitude 7. Kou, I can’t believe you came up with a weapon like that!」
「Wait, this is my fault now?」
Asia laughed while addressing Kou, who weakly responded.
「Your idea ended up being the key to taking down the Megareus, you should be proud.」
Master teased Kou with a sly grin.
「You truly found an exceptional talent.」
Astraea chimed in, her voice devoid of emotion. Her face was expressionless, and even Kou understood that it wasn’t exactly a compliment.
「Hey, you guys, ease up on Kou. The one who designed that thing was that eccentric British gentleman, not him.」
Voy, who was riding in the drill tank, stepped in to defend Kou.
The new drill tank was equipped with two massive stepped drills at the front. Mounting it was the combat engineer-specialized Silhouette, Caledonia Crow, manned by Fuyuki.
「Yes, yes.」
Aimer replied cheerfully, Master had just disappeared inside Aimer once again.
「The aerial battle has started. Looks like it’s almost time.」
The Albion Mark I continued to move effortlessly across the wasteland. The sight of the shattered remnants of the enemy units scattered across the terrain created an eerie atmosphere.
◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
「It’s time to demonstrate the full capabilities of the combat engineer unit. We’ll be the ones to open the way.」
The combat engineer unit, Assault Pioneers—also known as the Vanguard—started to move. Their role on the battlefield was to carry out operations that would give their allies the advantage. It was one of the most dangerous and challenging support roles.
「The power of that weapon, the Hanged Man, was overwhelming. It wiped out the enemy’s defensive grid and even destroyed the minefields. That’s one less job for us to worry about.」
The massive explosion centered around Megareus had obliterated the entire defensive network set up to combat Metal Iris, including the minefields. Normally, engineers would be tasked with clearing such mines, but with that concern gone, they could now focus solely on sabotage.
「Quickly, we must get ahead of the main force. Let’s move, everyone.」
The engineer unit piloting the Caledonia Crows advanced. Despite being a specialized engineering Silhouette, it was based on the formidable Lanius Type-B, making it highly capable in combat. Their combat capabilities were further increased by riding atop the drill tanks.
「We’re ready on our end too, Fuyuki! The drill formation and the Analyze Armor are all set!」
Fuyuki’s unit was mounted on Voy’s drill tank, preparing to initiate their combination. He relayed through communications that they were ready to start.
「Before the enemy units gather to defend the Megareus, we need to secure an infiltration route into its interior. That’s our mission.」
Fuyuki pulled up a visual of the exterior schematics of the Megareus from the Interplanetary War era.
「Space Battleship Megareus. Capable of navigating both space and the deep sea, its armor is designed to withstand space battleships’ direct fire from all directions. However, it does have elevators for loading and deploying escort units.」
He highlighted key areas on the map, marking the locations where the engineer units would be deployed.
「Let’s go, Voy-san! The time is now!」
「Super Drill Combination!」
「Wait, what? What’s this about a ‘Super Drill’?!」
「Spirit is also important!」
As the two bantered, the combination sequence started and the Analyze Armor was fitted onto the Caledonia Crow. Massive drills were attached to the Silhouette’s arms, with enormous ammunition magazines visible.
A large backpack provided additional protection for the unit during operations. Its size largely exceeded the size of normal Silhouettes, towering close to 10 meters tall.
Voy’s drill tank transformed and combined with Fuyuki’s Caledonian Crow. This was the true appearance of the weapon developed by Kou and Fuyuki for the Megareus assault: the Analyze Armor ‘Eland’.
「Our target is the aircraft elevators located on the side. We will drill through the key points and secure an infiltration route. All bulkheads will be destroyed immediately.」
The orders were straightforward, but the mission itself was brutally demanding.
The engineer units, equipped with industrial machinery, began their operations on the sealed elevators on both the starboard and port sides.
They used hammer drills based on pile bunker technology, these spiral-shaped drills with their tips shaped after a bamboo shoot were specially designed to perforate the armor of the Megareus.
「Kou-kun mentioned that their perforation capabilities were a bit lacking, but this is proving quite useful.」
The drill tips wore out almost instantly and became useless, but they were quickly swapped out by a new one thanks to a device similar to a magazine loader. While normal industrial machinery would only require replacing the tip, these destruction tools were designed for short-term, high-intensity combat. The entire stepped drill was treated as disposable.
Against the Whis-reinforced armor of the Megareus, which had extreme heat resistance, Kou had concluded that drilling would be the fastest method of destruction.
「Damn! The defense units are here!」
Transforming from its flight mode, an Arular lunged to strike, but was instantly shattered by the impact of the massive drill, obliterated in a single blow. The drill, designed to penetrate battleship armor, had devastating power, and within moments, a gaping hole was bored into its abdomen. The combat engineers had to operate right at the frontlines, where danger was highest, and they had no time or ability to fight back while working.
「There are more than I thought…」
「Fuyuki-san!」
Just as another Arular attempted to interfere, Unit 5 soared up from the ground, slicing it down in one swift motion. It nearly collided with the Megareus but regained its balance, kicking off the side of the battleship and cutting through another Arular above.
The Arulars switched to ranged attack mode, putting distance between themselves and the engineers. This worked in the engineers’ favor. The escort units could focus on providing anti-aircraft cover, letting the engineer units fully concentrate on their mission.
「We won’t let them interfere! Keep working!」
「Understood. No matter what, we will destroy this.」
The engineer units resumed drilling, one after another, boring holes with their drills. As the engineers depleted their step drill tips, they rotated out to reload new magazines.
Unit 5 leaped back into action, clearing out more enemies trying to swarm the engineer teams. Switching to its D-Rifle, it took precise aim, shooting down foes from above.
Multiple areas were being breached simultaneously. The Megareus was in chaos, unable to mount a proper counterattack as Metal Iris pressed on.
◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
The main tank division of Metal Iris advanced toward the Megareus. Tanks formed the base of the formation, followed by Silhouettes and armored vehicles.
The force consisted of thousands of tanks, with Silhouettes and armored vehicles numbering several times that. It was an all-out battle of overwhelming scale.
「But still…」
Rick, riding in one of the tanks, muttered to himself.
「Why is that here…?」
Among the imposing column of tanks, Silhouettes, and armored vehicles, the sight of numerous ‘Jellied Eel Jaridwheel’ Panjandrums rolling alongside was surreal. Alongside them, a few Melos were present as well. All the Panjandrums left in the Fortress Area had tagged along for some reason.
「They seem eager to fulfill their original duty as self-propelled mines. They’re intent on launching a suicide attack ahead of us.」
A rabbit-type Familia answered Rick’s unsaid question.
「Who told you that?! Do they even have a will of their own?」
「It seems they managed to communicate with the maintenance equipment in the fortress area. They exchanged information when they came to refuel their metallic hydrogen. It doesn’t seem like they have a clear consciousness, though.」
「A world where self-propelled mines and maintenance systems can have conversations… what have we come to?」
Rick was dumbfounded by the unexpected development.
It was likely due to the Merlin System. The self-propelled mines seemed aware of their role—to charge ahead and detonate as explosive devices.
The army arrived at Megareus and began encircling it. The enemy’s main force had yet to arrive, but battles broke out with the Argoforce ground troops stationed on the perimeter.
「The enemy’s heavy tanks are a liability. Let’s take control of the outer perimeter!」 Rick commanded the tank division’s Familias.
The enemy tanks were a formidable threat, but they were slow to redeploy after retreating. Their mobility was inferior to Metal Iris’ tanks.
Using the tank unit’s agility to its full advantage was Rick’s specialty.
「Rick, the enemy numbers are high. Don’t let your units get surrounded after securing control.」
「Who do you think you’re talking to, Barry? I wouldn’t make such a rookie mistake,」
The enemy’s main aerial force had temporarily retreated from the Megareus to two Fortress Areas in the rear. Meanwhile, their ground forces had sought refuge in small Defense Domes along the route. However, Rick’s tank division, aware of the timing of the Hanged Man attack, had deployed more quickly than the enemy could reposition.
The artillery battle had begun.
The Jellied Eel Jaridwheels rushed headlong into enemy Silhouettes, detonating in spectacular fashion, taking out multiple enemies in the process. They seemed to understand that they weren’t suited for tank combat, so they focused on ramming troublesome targets like the aberration Silhouettes, which were more challenging for the tank units to deal with.
Against the enemy forces emerging from the Defense Domes, Rick’s troops were well-prepared. Squads of Quattro Silhouettes, Troopers, and fast-strike tank destroyer armored vehicles were waiting to ambush them. Delaying the enemy’s efforts to regroup would drastically weaken their overall firepower.
「The Silhouette units are deployed too. We can press forward like this.」
Jamie, who led the assault Silhouette squads, finished positioning his squads. The squads led by him had the role of infantry, in other words— protecting the tanks from enemy skirmishers.
「Their secondary cannons have taken damage. Are they trying to fight a siege inside the Megareus?」
「They’ve enough forces in reserve. I expect they’ll deploy the troops inside at the right moment.」
Rick couldn’t fully grasp the enemy’s strategy. However, a siege defense could be effective if they were counting on reinforcements to arrive. Barry was also on alert, wary of the possibility of a pincer attack.
Although the Megareus’ overall combat capability had been greatly diminished, Barry expected that its formidable armor, secondary cannons, various weapon systems, and the stockpile of weaponry inside the ship were largely intact. He didn’t know, but the situation inside the Megareus was dire—its weaponry was barely operational, with functionality dropping below 50%.
「If Fuyuki and his team can just secure an infiltration route, we can push through in one swift move.」
Fuyuki’s combat engineers were conducting simultaneous attacks on multiple fronts. Despite the enemy’s fierce resistance, he knew that breaking through just one point would shift the tide of the battle.
「The enemy’s aerial units are still a threat. We’ve already lost a lot of forces in the naval battle.」
While gaining air superiority was critical, the enemy’s main aerial strength lay in their Arulars. Metal Iris’ air force was also substantial, but their numbers had been severely depleted during the defense of Fortress Area P336, and far from all units were fully operational.
「Commander Barry, leave it to us. Our Familias will begin aerial support from orbit.」
「Is that true? That’s excellent news!」
Abel’s announcement over the comms greatly pleased Barry, but Rick couldn’t shake his unease.
Comment (0)