Progressing from Arasaka Without Limits

"It's said that this is just a rough attempt at improvement..."

The presence of the Imperial Guard here means that Her Third Princess has left the Grand Palace in Saint Petersburg to go to the front lines in person?!

They exchanged a glance, and the officer's breathing suddenly became a little heavier.

It is common knowledge that doing a good job in front of a high-ranking leader makes it easier to be remembered by superiors, which is a benefit that can lead to promotions and higher ranks!

If not now, when?

A more intense flame of progress ignited in the officer's heart. He looked northeast, as if he could already hear the rumbling of steel as the Knightmare swarm moved.

Command sequence G-1, Elizabeth.

Now.

The booming sounds echoed intermittently across the devastated wilderness.

The slightest jolt, and the scenery moving at a steady pace outside the porthole.

Accompanying this was the sound of tracks constantly crushing and compacting the road surface, pulverizing the embers and debris.

Five large Britannia ground-based Knightmare motherships traversed the Estonian war zone, sailing further west amidst heavy guard from the inner, middle, and outer rings of the Imperial Guard.

Fully armed combat dolls and non-humanoid vehicles with various functions deployed in formation around the Elizabeth.

"Early warning aircraft report: enemy air force formation has entered the combat zone and launched multiple Guided Missile and glide bombs."

"Order the fighter squadron to intercept!"

"Ground-based air defense brigade, activate the Aegis system to intercept missiles."

"They should not be from the Eastern Europe theater; they are from Poland. They are information warfare units, tracking their communication networks to provide coordinates for bomber and rocket units. Jamming units, obscuring G-1."

In response, splatter splatter—

A dozen or so short-range Anti-air Missile, trailing plumes of fire, emerged from the rocket vehicle's launch pod.

Then, under the guidance of the integrated information and fire combat command system, it rose from the ground and soared straight into the sky, like a bolt of lightning, heading towards a supersonic obstacle-breaking point beyond visual range.

Vera, seated in the throne room of the specially designed new mothership equipped with an energy shield, had no time to appreciate the beautiful scene before her.

She was coordinating the entire Northern Army Group with her staff and advisors.

Major General Hoffmann, also a member of Vera's retinue and a military advisor, bowed and said, "Your Highness, the second phase of the Trident Offensive is progressing smoothly."

Lieutenant General Ludendorff was, after all, the First Quartermaster General; there was no need for him to follow him around all the time.

Vera put down the documents in her hand and nodded slightly.

The so-called Trident Boom refers to a strategy that uses the three regions of Narva and Voru in Estonia and Karsava in Latvia as spearheads, sending Knightmare armored cavalry combined arms groups to break through the defenses in a pincer movement, followed by the insertion of mechanized infantry such as traditional tanks and armored vehicles to divide and annihilate the enemy.

The offensive has now reached Riga, the capital of Latvia, and has even advanced as far as the Lithuanian border.

Naturally, Vera wouldn't put herself in a position of attack; her central, forward-positioning role as the command center was merely a ploy to lure the EU into a false sense of security and confuse the issue.

Estonia has been breached; border fortresses like Tallinn and Tapa, guarded by EU coalition forces, are now trapped. For now, we should surround them without attacking, cutting off their water, electricity, and food supplies to wear them down for a while.

Nothing is more suitable for the use of armed robots than this kind of meat grinder-like urban warfare.

Vera doesn't mind using all the materials on the robot products; it's a good way to clear out inventory and also makes it easier to make real-time improvements.

"Lord Alexei has arrived in Tallinn, and the siege is underway... Huh?"

She turned her gaze back to the dashboard.

Suddenly--

Vera discovered something.

On the flank of the gradually deploying troops, some red dots were flashing in the distance.

"At a direction of 30 degrees west of south, the outer ring sentry unit has detected engagement signals. The drone unit has detected an EU armored combined arms brigade attacking our position."

An intelligence analyst was constantly pressing keys on his console, making a swishing sound.

"Additional information: 174 KMF mechs have been identified. Video information shared. Preliminary assessment indicates 67 Gardemea Heavy Firepower Type and 11... Alexander type? Is that the one? The type deployed by the 'Hannibal's Spectre' that defeated the Order of Saint Raphael Knights?"

Major General Hoffmann asked, "Is it that WZERO Unit?"

"The organizational structure doesn't match up, so we can't rule out the possibility that the EU has formed a new special forces unit."

"With such a small force, they're just throwing themselves into the encirclement. Is this another suicide bombing tactic?"

Hoffman glanced at Vera, who had a meaningful expression on her face, then turned and stepped forward, saying, "Remind the outer perimeter guards to maintain a safe distance during combat."

After a moment's hesitation, Vera asked, "Where is the Area 11 Special Task Force? What are their losses?"

"Pärnu City".

An officer immediately replied, "In coordination with the Imperial Marine Corps, they have captured the seaside resort. Although their losses are not small, they are still advancing toward Latvia."

"Very good. That means it's very close. Hoffman, send the Special Dispatch Guidance Department and the Area 11 Special Task Force to intercept them immediately."

"Get the Imperial Guard ready to attack."

Hoffman nodded at the first part, but when he heard the second part, he paused for a moment. But when he saw Vera stand up and take off her cloak, he knew that he couldn't dissuade her.

Having switched to a private jet but still not having used it in actual combat, Her Highness the Princess is itching to get her hands dirty.

After all, her sense of responsibility as the supreme commander makes it impossible for her to take the initiative to seek out others for one-on-one mech battles, but if you come to her yourself, then there is no problem at all.

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Hoffman bowed with his hand on his chest.

Just as Vera was giving her instructions, the central display screen went dark, and a highly authorized communication message came in.

She looked over, then raised an eyebrow. "So you've finally arrived."

The next moment, the screen interface switched, and in its place appeared a dashing and valiant woman wearing the purple battle armor of the ninth seat of the Knights of the Round.

"Oh, it's been a long time, Princess Vera."

"Long time no see, Senior Nonette."

Hoffmann, also a key figure in the Battle of Tannenberg during World War I, was Max Hoffmann. A comment from a fellow reader reminded me that it's easier to find the prototypes of famous generals than to completely create Western-style figures that are impossible to remember.

180

Chapter 180 What kind of person is Princess Vera?

Why do people have to kill each other?

Suzaku Kururugi's question went unanswered. On this battlefield of carnage, filled with blood and fire, no one could offer a solution.

Da da da da da—

After a violent explosion, flashes of light, billowing smoke, a wave of heat, and flying debris followed.

In a small town in southwestern Estonia bordering Latvia, the pilot of the Knightmare fifth-generation fighter [Sutherland Kai] issued the command, "Fire!"

Meanwhile, European Britannia wove a dense web of fire with tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, and individual weapons, covering the entire street.

Pfft! Pfft!

More than a dozen EU coalition soldiers who were unable to dodge in time were torn to pieces on the spot, with severed arms and internal organs flying everywhere.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Several loud explosions rang out. Expanding blasts of air and flames scattered across the shattered corner of the wall.

That was a rocket launcher that missed its target.

With the crest of Indian eagle feathers on their heads and the protective partitions of their multi-functional optical detectors open, three Sunderland mechs raised their massive 30mm linear general-purpose machine guns, specifically targeting high-threat targets equipped with anti-armor weapons.

Shoot the horse before the rider; eliminate any enemy unit with anti-armor capabilities as the first priority.

Pilots who ignore threats or even stand still and wait to be targeted are unqualified and need to be sent back to apprenticeships for retraining.

Amidst cries of agony and screams, the remaining EU soldiers fled in panic.

Explosions and gunfire were everywhere. In a short while, wherever the hail of bullets passed, rubble flew everywhere and blood splattered.

Artillery fire is merciless, and bullets have no eyes.

Clang!

Two more Sunderland mechs appeared, using the flying claws launched from the sides of their chests to climb onto the rooftops, raising handheld recoilless cannons comparable in caliber to heavy artillery, and firing a shot at the few remaining armored vehicles of the EU remnants.

The EU main battle tank that was hit was twisted and dented like broken silicone, and the thick smoke from the explosion shot straight into the sky.

In an instant, flames erupted both inside and outside the town, and the sound of gunfire was deafening.

Suzaku Kururugi watched all of this through the Lancelot's reality detector.

The EU veteran, who had been roaring and wielding a heavy machine gun to suppress the Britannia sweepers just moments before, was hit by a large-caliber bullet fired by Sunderland and turned into pieces of flesh before he could even utter a sound.

The wounded soldier, who was not yet dead, was run over by the tank, letting out a heart-wrenching scream before quickly falling silent.

The two sides clashed in a narrow alley, exchanging fire almost face to face. During the fight, the Britannia soldier, who had been shot several times, let out a fierce roar, knocked down the EU soldier who had the upper hand, slammed him to the ground, smashed his face, and viciously pressed his fingers into the other's eye sockets. Beneath the torn uniform and elbow pads, the metallic texture of his limbs gleamed in the firelight.

At the prime of her life, with a future that should have been far brighter than his, the beautiful EU female officer was wounded multiple times. When surrounded by Britannia soldiers who intended to capture her alive, she used fluent French with a Parisian accent to sarcastically mock Britannia's despotism and tyranny, calling them "dogs of District 11." Then, shouting "Long live France!" she raised her gun and shot herself.

Life is as worthless as grass.

War exposes the savagery within people.

And I—

"And one of them."

The striking platinum-painted Lancelot wields his High-Frequency Vibration Sword, its blade glowing red.

Driven by the hydraulic system and torque drive, it cleaved open the two arms of the EU mech equipped with large-caliber rapid-fire cannons, cutting it in half like a hot knife through butter!

Next, the special envoy's prototype guide weapon—a 4.49-meter-tall, 7-ton steel giant piloted by Suzaku Kururugi —moved nimbly and powerfully with a large drift and a soccer kick.

With lightning speed, it kicked the torso of the EU mech that was about to explode into another EU mech that had crashed through the building.

Boom!

The two planes collided, bursting into a dazzling flame.

"Die! Britannia scum!"

The sound coming through the loudspeaker.

That was the last KMF mech of the remaining EU soldiers in the town.

Facing the barrage of 30mm armor-piercing shells and 120mm shells, Suzaku Kururugi, a resident of District 11 but cursed as Britannia scum by the EU, remained calm and composed, manipulating Lancelot's right arm, which held the MVS Vibration Sword horizontally in front of him.

Buzz...

An energy shield composed of fluorescent green particles appeared in front of Lancelot's shield-shaped arm armor on his forearm.

BOOM! BOOM!

Bullets and shells struck the energy shield and exploded, scattering stray bullets, but after a burst of fire, only a wisp of smoke remained. The energy shield stood firm.

"Energy shield? Damn it, Britannia has already implemented it?!"

Suzaku Kururugi did not respond to this. He simply operated Lancelot to draw out the handheld Variable Ammunition Reactive Impact Cannon (VARIS) developed and manufactured by 'Special Agent' Lloyd. The Iai-style hand cannon fired three rounds, and the fluorescent green impact shells shattered the armor and detonated the heavy-duty KMF mech.

The rapidly blooming fireball swirled up countless tiny fragments, and flames and black smoke scattered in all directions.

"For Her Highness the Princess, Banzai!"

With the arrival of the special envoy and more Area 11 Special Task Force, the intensity of the fighting in the border town of Mõisaküla, marked on the map, immediately decreased.

With the die-hards all dead, the morale of the remaining soldiers also completely collapsed.

A part of the Northern Army Group was passing through this area, marching in a grand and imposing manner.

"Thank you for your hard work, Suzaku Kururugi."

The pilot from Sunderland, who was in charge of the pursuit and sweep operation in the area, made a video call and went up to thank them in a very friendly manner.