In fact, contact with some of the ground units had been lost. It was a unit that was supposed to be deployed northwest of the landing craft.
“They must have gone to the center of the explosion,” the commander mused.
“Surely they couldn’t have gone there... No, but...” The soldier hesitated.
They had been transferred to the ground as reinforcements, but they couldn’t contact the unit in question. A rumor had quickly spread that they had been caught up in the wide-area incineration warhead. The troops hadn’t believed it at first, but now that people had gone missing in the process, the rumors were starting to sound true. The idea that their leaders would let all of them die to kill the Blue Knight was a mental blow. Soldiers were prepared to die in battle, but they didn’t want themselves or their allies to die for no reason.
“Commander, bad news!” another soldier said. “Large mobile weapons have appeared among the enemy!”
“What?!”
Their confusion was further exacerbated by the appearance of large mobile weapons being deployed by the Imperial Army.
“Our attacks are having no effect! Their defense is too strong! It’s entirely one-sided!” the soldier continued.
The mobile weapons were twenty meters tall, with wide bodies, and they moved slowly. However, their defensive power was overwhelming, and neither beams nor bullets had any effect on them. They advanced, ignoring the Liberation Army’s attacks, and took out soldiers and unmanned craft.
“That’s a humanoid weapon I’ve never seen before. Could it be a new weapon developed by Princess Clariossa?!” the commander exclaimed.
Princess Clariossa was well-known among the people as a highly skilled scientist. She had invented all kinds of things, including the PAF. It made sense to assume that she had made a massive robot. Looking up at the constructs, the commander felt despair.
It was Sanae-nee who had seen through the soldiers’ panic, but it was Clan who took action. So the Liberation Army surely believed that it was all Clan’s doing. But their mistake lurked elsewhere.
“Oh, it’s working!” Sanae-nee said. “They’re all scared, and it looks like they’re thinking it’s your newest idea. Great work, Glasses!”
“I’m not sure if I should be happy or not...” Clan sighed. For some reason, her shoulders drooped. The massive humanoid weapons that she’d sent in were achieving great results. The Liberation Army was running, and the unmanned craft had cut down their numbers. There was no reason for her to be disappointed.
“I think you can be happy.” Kiriha smiled.
“Kii...I wanted to send in the real ones.”
Surprisingly, most of the large humanoid weapons were actually holograms. Hiding behind the holograms were five unmanned craft meant for bombardment pretending to be a massive robot. That was why the enemy attacks weren’t working. They were simply passing right through, but the soldiers didn’t have the composure to notice.
“They look real to the enemy,” Kiriha assured her. “Nobody could imagine they’re fakes when a steel legion is approaching them. Moreover, the enemy is confused and their morale is low. They all believe it’s real and fear it.”
Since the Liberation Army was in a panic, nobody was paying attention to the details. If they checked the sensors, they would see through the trick, but nobody did. Not to mention that it was in the middle of the night, which hindered their vision. As a result, everyone believed there were massive robots in front of them. Like Kiriha said, they appeared real to the Liberation Army’s soldiers, who were giving up on fighting and running away.
“Go, Sun Fighto!” Sanae-nee excitedly shouted the name of the weapon. The model for the massive unmanned craft had been taken from a humanoid weapon on Earth called Sun Fighto. It was the robot that was made when the five Sun Rangers combined their machines. Clan had helped in its construction, so she had a holographic model of its exterior.
“You really are a genius, Glasses!” Sanae-nee exclaimed.
The enemy was in an uproar. Clan’s flash of genius had brought about fantastic results. However, her expression was dark. She didn’t desire those results or the high praise.
I can’t believe I’m getting results from scams and scheming again... she complained internally.
Clan knew that once she discovered the enemy’s weakness, she had to exploit it. The results of the fight would greatly affect their future. If they won, there would be far fewer casualties. But if possible, she wanted to be praised for being more like a princess.
Clan’s fake giant robot scheme was successful, and the Liberation Army’s formations were falling apart. If they’d had more unmanned craft than soldiers, they likely would have maintained cohesion—the Liberation Army forcibly transferring soldiers had worked against them.
“Looks like everything’s falling apart, Maxfern!” Koutarou taunted his opponent.
“Say whatever you like! It will all be worth it if you die here!”
Maxfern had gone after Kiriha and the others at first, but now his target had shifted to Koutarou. It was questionable whether that had been his original goal or if he was simply coming apart.
That said, we’re in a troublesome situation, Koutarou thought. We’ve already rescued Kiriha-san and the others. We could retreat, but if we disappear, he’ll obviously go after the conference...
Koutarou’s side would be very troubled politically if the conference was attacked. Important people from all over the galaxy would be gathered there, and the venue was on Alaia, which was Mastir territory, so losing VIPs there would bring the empress’s authority into question. Moreover, they would have allowed it to happen, knowing the enemy was there. If any civilians died, Koutarou’s group would be held responsible, so they couldn’t carelessly retreat. They needed to defeat the Forthorthe Liberation Army here.
“Sorry for burdening you like this, Koutarou,” Kiriha said. She had known the risks but felt they were worth taking. That was why her voice coming through the comms sounded so apologetic.
“You can say that again! But I’ll save the lecture for later!” Koutarou answered. He swung Signaltin and cut a missile in half, then looked at Acturus, which was their biggest problem. “Be honest with me, Kiriha-san. That’s bad, isn’t it?”
Koutarou had a bad feeling. It wasn’t a matter of fighting strength. They could win if they fought hard enough, not to mention that reinforcements were on the way. Even so, he felt uneasy. He had no real basis for it, but he was up against Maxfern. He couldn’t imagine that the battle would end without a bang.
“Exceedingly so,” Kiriha agreed. However, in her case, she had more in-depth predictions.
“I thought so.” Koutarou sighed.
“I was just thinking about bringing it up,” Kiriha continued. She hadn’t contacted him to apologize, but to talk about this very topic. “There is a time limit on this battle. Once that time is up, the Liberation Army will automatically lose. So Maxfern will do something just before that point.”