It was just as we reached the threshold of the hangar where our cruiser was docked.
'......Killing intent?'
My senses reacted first. Five of them, somewhere beyond the corridor.
Sharp, refined killing intent pierced through the air.
"It's an attack!"
Before my shout even finished-
-Tatata-tang!!
Bullets tore through the metal wall and rained down. Three bodyguards immediately blocked Adele, and Kim Suhyun lowered her body, drawing her pistol.
"Miss! Take cover!"
With Kim Suhyun's calm voice, Hina pulled Adele behind a wall as if embracing her.
I quickly scanned the corridor's structure.
A narrow, long corridor. A structure that limited entry from the sides.
In other words, this attack pouring in from the front wasn't a simple ambush, but a thoroughly planned assault.
-Thud! Thud!
One bodyguard tried to return fire but was hit by three consecutive bullets and collapsed.
The other two also quickly lowered their stances.
"Get down!"
I shouted briefly, pulled a smoke-flash grenade from my waist, and threw it down the corridor.
-Pewng!!
An intense flash and thick smoke engulfed the corridor.
For a moment, the battlefield's visibility was completely cut off.
And I moved. Every sense was heightened.
Within the smoke, I could hear breathing and footsteps, even the faint operational sounds of equipment.
'3 o'clock direction... shallow breathing. And... the sound of a trigger being readied.'
-Shuk! Chaak!
I swung my blade. A short tearing sound, followed by the sound of a body collapsing.
First enemy, eliminated.
As the smoke began to clear, silhouettes slowly emerged from beyond the corridor.
Red exoskeleton combat suits.
Their helmets were multi-functional composite types, with tactical UIs displayed on their HUDs.
These weren't mere terrorists or mercenaries.
'Their training and equipment are beyond regular military.'
"You... who are you?"
I slowly gripped my blade and asked.
There was no response.
Instead, only faint transmission sounds, as if they were communicating inside their helmets, flowed out.
「Everyone, execute Protocol F.」
At that moment, the remaining four moved simultaneously.
Two dropped from above, pushing off the wall, while the other two crossed the corridor, attacking from both sides in a pincer movement.
Precise movements targeting front and back, up and down, all at once.
Their speed was abnormally fast for ordinary exoskeleton suits.
Enhanced drive modules and high-speed reaction circuits. Their movements were no different from trained assassins.
'Are they luring me in... and trying to eliminate Adele at the same time?'
Two in front. Their angles, distance, and movements were designed to disrupt my balance.
But the real danger was the two who circled behind me, aiming for Adele Licencia.
"Ms. Suhyun!"
With a short shout, I threw my blade sideways.
-Kwajik!!
In an instant, the flying blade pierced the neck of one of the enemies approaching Adele.
Before blood could even splatter, he collapsed.
"Behind you!!"
Kim Suhyun turned her head and kicked out at the other enemy. Her kick made the enemy lose balance and crash into the wall.
'Now I only need to focus on what's in front.'
Two enemies.
They rushed at me simultaneously.
Without my blade, I grabbed the first enemy's wrist with only my palm and twisted it.
-Pajik!
The excessive acceleration backfired, dislocating his joint. Not missing the opportunity, I slammed my elbow into his helmet.
-Kwang!
The second enemy immediately followed. I spun around, using the exoskeleton of the enemy I had just subdued as a shield.
-Tang! Tangtang!
Three bullets struck his chest and ricocheted.
And I pushed him forward with all my might.
"You're finished too."
-Thwack!
My knee struck his jaw, and the resulting recoil sent him sprawling.
A moment of silence.
Only heavy breathing and the traces of the fallen remained in the corridor.
I slowly picked up the blood-soaked blade again.
Turning around, Hina looked at me, maintaining a guard stance in front of Adele.
Kim Suhyun had already lowered her gun and was scanning the fallen enemy's equipment.
"Is everyone alright?"
I looked around and asked. Adele slowly got up.
"...Yes. Thanks to you."
She answered cautiously. Kim Suhyun approached the fallen enemies and knelt before one of the bodies.
As she expressionlessly removed the helmet, her eyes narrowed sharply for a moment.
"These are......"
Kim Suhyun's voice was low and heavy.
"......Knights-Shade. Arsenos's elite infiltration unit."
Instantly, the air itself grew heavy.
Adele muttered softly, as if disbelieving.
"...Arsenos."
"The target is definitely Miss."
Kim Suhyun added firmly.
"There's a possibility of additional forces arriving. You must move immediately."
At her words, I nodded.
"Let's move."
We immediately passed through the left corridor and through the emergency passage.
Finally, we arrived at the space.
There, the Legion L-77AX, the unit I was to board, waited silently.
I immediately climbed into the cockpit. Then, a voice spoke.
"Lieutenant Jin."
I turned my head to see Adele Licencia standing there.
"Yes?"
"......You're the only one who can resolve this situation right now."
She spoke slowly and resolutely.
"So, I'll trust you."
At her words, I quietly looked into her eyes. Those eyes, which always held a playful smile, now contained genuine responsibility and concern.
"Don't worry."
I nodded and said.
"I won't let anyone lay a hand on them."
As I sat in the cockpit, Legion's systems began to activate. Combat data appeared on the monitor one by one, and the unit's status was displayed.
[Legion-L-77AX: Startup Sequence Initiated]
[All Systems Normal]
[Output: 90%]
[Armament: High-Tension Blade / Vibration Shooter XM-2]
"Launching."
Legion's engine hummed low and heavy. The vibrations spreading through the unit permeated my bones.
The hangar's shutter slowly opened.
Through the gap, the red-tinged chaos outside tore into my vision.
A burning city, screaming people.
Remnants of red plasma ripped through the air, and a massive unit floated ominously above the colony's center.
Its surroundings were like hell.
Collapsed colony ceilings, tilted structures, debris and flames drifting in the zero-gravity gaps.
That colossal shadow silently trampled everything.
[Legion-L-77AX: Startup Sequence Complete. Battlefield Vision Acquired.]
The unit rotated its central axis and assumed its stance. The trajectory of the massive mobile weapon displayed on the HUD flashed red.
"This is Legion-L-77AX, launch complete."
The communication channel opened, and a familiar voice followed.
[This is the Licencia Cruiser, Operator Sakurai Hina. I will now connect the communication channel with the Elbaite Autonomous Forces.]
A moment later, with a mechanical connection sound, another voice calmly came through.
[This is Elbaite Autonomous Forces Command and Control. Legion, response confirmed. This is Colonel Proud.]
His voice was tinged with exhaustion and desperation.
[The situation is critical. If we leave that monster as it is... the entire colony will collapse.]
I responded concisely.
"Yes, I'm aware."
[......Good. Our forces are currently engaging the Arsenos fleet. Assistance is difficult. Civilian evacuation is also not yet complete.]
His words paused for a moment. His voice, when it resumed, was heavy and low.
[Right now, at this moment, you are the only one who can stop that monster.]
I quietly checked the HUD again. The massive unit floating in the distance.
Its sheer size was a threat, and countless red ports were slowly opening.
At the unit's core, a slowly rotating red core was beginning to activate.
"...Understood."
[I have one request.]
"Speak."
[As much as possible, try to minimize damage to the colony.]
I quietly nodded.
"I can't guarantee that, but I'll do my best to minimize the damage."
Hina's voice cut into the communication again.
[Oppa... be careful. Don't overdo it.]
I chuckled briefly.
"Don't worry."
With those words, I cut the communication.
I settled deep into the cockpit, fixing my fingers on the lever.
"Alright, shall we begin?"
-Bwoooong...!
Legion's thrusters roared with high output. The unit streaked through the air above the colony's center, drawing a smooth curve.
Instantly, the massive mobile weapon was captured on the HUD.
As soon as the colossal weapon detected Legion's charge, it reflected a red glow from its eyes.
Binocular-shaped sensors rotated, focusing on me, and the panels on the unit's front began to open.
-Chik-chik... Kaang!
A massive plasma port charged with red energy, emitting a high-frequency hum.
The radar showed rapidly rising output readings.
"Damn it...!"
I twisted Legion's posture.
[Warning! Plasma detected!]
"......!"
-Kwaaaaaang!!!
In an instant, red flames raged as if to swallow me.
A plasma beam powerful enough to distort space ripped through the air, and a colony structure in its trajectory simply evaporated.
I changed my trajectory by a hair's breadth.
Legion rotated counter-clockwise, escaping its line of fire.
'This is no joke... such destructive power from a single shot.'
The massive arc-shaped structure at the colony's center was half-destroyed, its debris floating in zero gravity.
[Oppa! Are you okay?!]
Hina's urgent voice struck my ears.
"I'm still fine. I need to take it down before it prepares its next shot."
I moved, holding the Stormblaster XM-2.
The unit shot forward as if propelled. Lasers crisscrossed and flew from all directions.
Legion adjusted its posture at subtle angles, piercing through the gaps.
"It's a good thing it's unnecessarily big...!"
At that moment, I aimed the Stormblaster XM-2 at a gap in its side armor and fired.
-Kwaang!!
A direct hit.
However, only smoke billowed, and its exterior wasn't even scratched.
'It's tough.'
[Evasion Recommended!]
A warning window flashed red on the HUD. I immediately activated Legion's acceleration module.
"Thrust, maximum."
-Kwaaaaaang!!
Instantly, with a flash, the inside of the colony twisted red. A massive heat ray tore through the air, sweeping away the coordinates I had just occupied.
Even a mere graze caused Legion's right exterior to temporarily glow red.
[Temperature Rise: Exterior Panel 312°C / Cooling System Overload Warning]
"If I get hit by that... it's game over."
I urgently twisted my posture, drawing an evasion trajectory. As Legion rotated diagonally along the wall and moved away, a long 'Jijijijijik' sound of hot metal echoed from behind me.
"Damn it... what kind of monster is that?"
Overheated panels automatically detached in part, forming emergency ventilation sections.
Beyond my vision, that beast-like weapon raised its head again, aiming at me.
'...I need to find its weakness.'
I activated Legion's scan module.
Its thick armor plating, strangely reinforced joints, and even internal heat exhaust lines were all on a different level from ordinary weapons.
Even its central core was protected by a multi-layered heat shielding structure.
'There are no conventional weaknesses... no, they're all hidden.'
But after the previous attack, a faint abnormal signal was detected.
"......Right side of the chest, there was heat discharge."
Playback video again. I rewound one of Legion's surveillance records and checked it slowly.
After the red heat ray was fired, the upper right side of the chest. A very faint, dark, narrow gap shimmered for a moment.
"...Right. After all, high output must always discharge heat."
I connected the communication with Hina.
"Hina, I just confirmed a heat discharge section on its right chest after the main cannon fired. Check the recorded video and pinpoint the exact coordinates."
[Understood, I'll analyze it right away!]
Legion changed its trajectory again.
I rapidly poured fire to buy time. Stormblaster rounds continuously struck its exterior.
Naturally, it had no effect.
[Oppa, I've confirmed it! Upper right chest, 17-degree angle, the heat flap opens for 1.4 seconds!]
I gripped the control lever tightly.
"That hard-to-pierce hide, I'll peel it off."