You Shouldn’t Underestimate Kou’s Overprotectiveness Part2
「Enemy aerial forces have begun engaging the Pleiades unit. Reinforcements from R001 detected approaching from the rear. It’s possible to perform a pincer attack!」
Aki reported, displaying the visuals. A formation of Type-0 transformable Silhouettes was flying in from the R001 Fortress Area that housed one of the orbital elevators.
「This is Eri from Gogyou Heavy Industries. We’ve sent part of the defense forces from the R001 Fortress Area to honor the request of the Big Boss. The orbital elevator is well protected, so you can rest easy.」
The transmission came from the Junyou, Gogyou Heavy Industries carrier, which was currently engaged with the enemy fleet at sea. They were cooperating with the Enterprise to push the enemy back.
「Thank you, Eri-san.」
Aimer responded gratefully.
Currently, the R001 Fortress Area was being guarded by a mix of corporate forces and mercenary forces that had joined the battle later. It had started to resemble a mercenary city in its own right.
「The enemy made a critical mistake in their strategy by failing to properly allocate and concentrate their forces. If they had the resources, they should have aimed for a broader front. This suggests a significant lack of competent commanders. In fact, it might even point to a deeper structural flaw within the Stones organization.」
Aimer nodded in agreement to Master’s analysis. Although Metal Iris didn’t have an abundance of commanders either, the fact that the various corporations could be used as individual corps with their own commanders helped compensate for that.
「They should have received a considerable blow with the lose of the detached forces attacking the Astraea—they probably never imagined we’d be able to concentrate this much firepower here. Our ample reserve forces have certainly saved us.」
Master laughed proudly as if everything had unfolded as she predicted. Certainly, the results had exceeded the best expectations.
「Yeah, but… don’t you think Kou’s being a bit too overprotective?」
Aimer muttered softly, almost to herself.
With reinforcements arriving from not only from the Eunomia, the Silhouette Base, and the P336 Fortress Area, but even from R001 Fortress Area, Aimer couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed by the overwhelming support that had been mobilized on her behalf.
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「Two carriers destroyed in an instant…?」
「The enemy seems to have used a high powered laser weapon.」
The operator’s voice was tense. Even a charged particle cannon wouldn’t cause an explosion where the target melts as it detonates.
「Has the enemy developed a laser weapon with the power of those from the Interplanetary War?」
Albert, commanding from the Megareus, was in a state of shock.
「The Mobile Arsenal Platform Astraea… our greatest obstacle. Targeting it wasn’t a mistake, but its combat capabilities far exceeded what we anticipated.」
Albert muttered as he tried to piece things together. He recalled how Castor, the moment he spotted the ship, had immediately recognized the threat and prioritized it for elimination. In hindsight, that had been an impressively keen judgment.
「An existence that defies logic… indeed.」
Albert recalled Castor’s evaluation. And now, there were reports of another two ships equal to the Astraea.
「But why haven’t they used that kind of power against the Megareus? Are they aiming to capture it instead? Any word from Castor-sama yet?」
「My apologies, we still haven’t been able to establish contact with him…」
「And Vasa?」
「The same. We have no communication, and their current locations are unknown.」
Albert clenched his teeth in frustration. It was clear now—they were losing this battle, completely.
The Megareus was rapidly losing its functionality as a battleship. The only saving grace was that the overall command structure of the army was still intact, and reinforcements continued to be deployed from two Fortress Areas and multiple Defense Domes.
「We won’t fall easily… but it’s painful not knowing how this will end.」
Albert muttered, a rare moment of weakness escaping him. He quickly refocused, issuing a stream of orders to the Silhouette units stationed within the ship. The still held the advantage inside the ship—their priority was to eliminate any enemies attempting to breach the interior.
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Inside the Megareus, the various units of Metal Iris had breached the ship. The resistance was fierce, but what struck them even more was the extensive damage to the interior.
「Has the whole ship warped?」
「To think that a battleship from the Interplanetary War equipped with an A-Carbuncle would receive this much damage…」
In several places, attempts to lower the bulkheads meant to prevent chain explosions were being blocked by warped sections of the ship. It seemed the damage from the shockwaves had caused severe structural distortions throughout the vessel.
The design of the interior was clearly designed to allow Silhouettes freedom of movement, probably because it was expected that maintenance and logistics would be handled by Silhouettes. Both the corridors and facilities had sections scaled for Silhouettes, with smaller pathways meant for humans. Melee combat wasn’t something the designers had in mind. In a battle between Silhouettes, with plasma barriers and shockwaves from explosions, a human body wouldn’t stand a chance.
Being a massive battleship, it housed both small hangars for Silhouettes and large ones for older generation war machines, scattered across the ship. In many of these locations, the wreckage of destroyed Silhouettes lay strewn about, evidence of the power of the ‘Hanged Man.’
「If we can just secure the combat command center or the A-Carbuncle reactor…」
「That’s easier said than done!」
The pilots of Metal Iris knew the difficulty of their task all too well. The Argoforce had organized the remaining operational Silhouettes and fortified critical positions throughout the ship.
The interior of the Megareus felt like a vast labyrinth. Metal Iris squads were being deployed one after another to secure key areas, but the enemy was using hit-and-run tactics—sometimes allowing areas to be captured, only to stage counterattacks to recapture them. It was an intense game of strategy.
「Everyone, proceed cautiously.」
On the deck, Kou was still locked in combat. Overhead, a squadron of Tachycinetas could be seen in formation, engaged in an aerial battle. Jenny and her squad were fighting fiercely to secure air superiority, their struggle visible even from the ground.
「This is Lanius Squad. We’re infiltrating from the second point. Boss, stay outside the ship for now. We’ll call if anything happens!」
「Jamie, I’m counting on you!」
「Yeah, I’ll give them hell!」
Jamie, a seasoned Nereid now approaching old age, had become one of Kou’s most trusted right hands. Kou had dropped the formality of calling him ‘Jamie-san’, knowing that it annoyed him. As a veteran Silhouette pilot, Jamie was not only a valuable asset but also frequently lent his sharp battlefield instincts to guide their tactics.
The first unit, led by the Hrafnagud from Kurt Corporation, had already launched their assault. They specialized in close-quarters combat, fearlessly charging in with machines built for melee, shrugging off minor damage as they pressed forward.
「This is Astraea. We’ve engaged the enemy.」
Aki’s voice reported.
Moments later, a massive explosion shook the battlefield. It was the work of Tenkou, Eunomia’s large-caliber laser weapon.
「Looks like the Onikiri and the Tenkou did their job.」
He had decided to name the weapons after Japanese swords to fortify his resolve.
「Our allies are a bit rattled, you know…」
Aki sighed, clearly amused but slightly exasperated.
The enemy aerial carrier had been destroyed in an instant, leaving even their own allies in shock. Kou was unaware, but he was slowly becoming a legend for his outrageous tactics.
「You should prepare yourself for Commander Barry’s lecture, Kou. I’ll try to defend you to the best of my abilities, but he is pretty agitated.」
「Sorry for the trouble, Aki. It was necessary to protect Aimer and Astraea. It couldn’t be helped.」
Kou replied, trying to justify it to himself. Though, deep down, he wondered if he might have gone a little overboard.
「Do I need to head back?」
「That won’t be necessary. We’re in the final stages of mopping up the remaining forces. We’re closing in on total annihilation.」
Having received Kou’s command, the Famillias were relentlessly destroying every piece of Argoforce weaponry in their path.
「Wait, that was fast.」
「Why are you surprised. No Telema Ai would remain indifferent after hearing your orders earlier.」
Kou had used plenty of terms that had roused the fighting spirit of the Familias, like ‘sending them to Thanatos embrace’. Their fighting spirit was so high that they were hunting the retreating enemy like ferocious hunting dogs, and they didn’t plan to stop until the last enemy was dead.
「I see… So, Aimer, Astraea, and all of you are safe?」
「Yes, rest assured. We have no issues here.」
「Thanks. I’m counting on you.」
Despite their current advantage, the enemy’s forces weren’t entirely wiped out. Caution was still necessary. Around the Megareus, large-scale tank battles were raging across the plains, while waves of high-performance enemy fighters continued attacking Metal Iris from the skies. Even so, the battle was clearly tipping in their favor, and the the Megareus assault was progressing smoothly.
Still, Kou couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling in his chest. Everything seemed to be going well, yet something felt off.
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