Chapter 203

Didi.

Suddenly, four overlapping, paused images appeared in front of Vera.

The mechs moving at lightning speed, exchanging bursts of metal, were all of the [Alexander] type KMF type.

Using the flashes of gunfire and the fire from rocket explosions, the outlines of the weapon modules mounted on the forearm and auxiliary arm of the KMF mechs reveal three types: a melee-specialized type, a vanguard-specialized type, and a sniper-specialized type, all attacking a special combat aircraft.

Unlike the previous three, which featured a white base with blue patterns, the latter was almost entirely white with only a few red lines.

White paint. A cross with an eerie red glow emanating from its head.

"The Hannibal's Wraith".

Vera zoomed in on the image again.

Her gaze settled on the back of the Alexander, which had a red cross on its nose.

The instant it dodged the friendly rocket, the flash of the explosion illuminated a towering tree not far away, where stood a creature resembling a spider with limbs that rose and transformed into human form: [Alexander].

The paint scheme is predominantly blue, the auxiliary arm features a ring that enhances communication capabilities, it hangs above the head, the unit has additional armor, and the arm armor's specific function is unknown.

Specialized control aircraft with command capabilities.

Considering the attitude of 'Hannibal's Wraith' guarding this place, Vera instantly confirmed the other party's identity.

"Tsk, what's so special about that? Taking such a risk is an overestimation."

Vera turned off the live feed from the remote monitoring system, gazed at the billowing smoke Riga encirclement, and chuckled wryly, shaking her head.

Well, she miscalculated.

Vera originally thought that Lelouch von Blaisgogh wouldn't choose to take risks under such circumstances, but rather, based on the qualities of a qualified commander and a strategic perspective, would choose the Azure Dragon Team, which was safer, had more troops, and was easier to command.

After all, under her influence, the W-ZERO unit, which was pitiful in the old timeline with only a handful of qualified KMF mech pilots, is now favored by the EU Committee of Forty, which has allocated funds and expanded its ranks significantly. The Wyvern Team alone has more than a hundred elite pilots, the Azure Dragon Team has more than a thousand qualified pilots, and there are countless other support personnel.

The scale and combat power are now incomparable.

Logically, the forces deployed for the surprise attack were sufficient, with both the EU Belarus and Polish fronts simultaneously engaged to contain and confuse the situation. There were also enough technical officers drawn from the EU regular army, so there was no need for the commander to go to the front lines as an emergency drone operator.

Based on this, Vera judged that Layla would not risk parachuting into enemy territory with the Wyvern Team, even though they were not far from the EU Belarus Front.

Considering this rebellious woman's sense of responsibility and courage, she is definitely not the kind of coward who hides in the rear. In order to prove her ideals and gain the recognition of the refugee soldiers from District 11 who have suffered a lot, she will definitely participate in such an important battle for the reappearance of the W-ZERO unit.

Vera thought of the 'unfamiliar' Azure Dragon Team that had been newly mentioned in the intelligence.

Once the EU authorities in Paris understand their current vulnerabilities, the operational objectives of the W-ZERO force become easy to deduce.

The Baltic states.

She was certain that the W-ZERO forces, or rather the EU authorities in Paris, were targeting this massive salient that had already threatened Warsaw and caused them considerable public and parliamentary setbacks.

It's simply a matter of cutting it off or smoothing out the protrusion.

Regarding the specific operational plan, the W-ZERO unit still had some secrecy measures in place. After the operational plan was made public, all soldiers' contact with the outside world was cut off. Even the spies recruited by the Imperial Foreign Intelligence Bureau's Arthas-Lorraine branch could not send out any information, but that was not necessary. She only needed to know when they would launch their attack.

The launch of five Chariot of Apollo super-heavy rockets in quick succession was a truly magnificent sight, impossible to conceal. Vera watched the entire process live.

The photo was taken by an intelligence agent from the Arthas-Lorraine branch, disguised as a forest fire watcher, from a fire lookout tower ten kilometers outside the White Wolf City base.

When the time was right, Vera secretly traveled from Saint Petersburg to the small town of Ogre in central Latvia.

Because Latvia is located in the center of the Baltic states, from here, whether heading north to Estonia, south to Lithuania and East Prussia, or east to Belarus, it can be reached within half an hour at the regular cruising speed of the "Excalibur".

Ogre County is located in central Latvia, about 50 kilometers from the siege of the capital Riga and less than 150 kilometers from the border Daugavpils, making it a potential stronghold for reinforcements from the West.

Vera left herself ample room for error in her judgment.

The bias towards the Riga encirclement is also to make it easier to deal with the possible amphibious landing operation of the Azure Dragon Team. The large underwater transport submarines of the W-ZERO force are unlikely to be able to break through the blockade of the Britannia Baltic Fleet by the surface fleet, and can only be deployed underwater.

For this reason, her Excalibur recently underwent a waterproofing and sealing modification for underwater operations.

Vera guessed that Layla would command the Azure Dragon Team to launch a second attack, right after the Wyvern Team stabbed the Order of Saint Michael in the backside.

But now it seems... she overestimated the other party.

The opposing team still chose the Wyvern Team, which best demonstrated courage and shared hardships with its soldiers.

Vera sighed and rubbed her forehead.

Uh, you're making me look really stupid, like I'm trying to outsmart thin air.

Isn't she too cautious and dismissive of people? Sometimes, it's better to be a little more assertive.

"Lord Manfredi."

After a short while, Vera suddenly spoke.

"Exist!"

"Close the net. Capture the pilot of the command-specialized [Alexander] alive. The others are irrelevant."

As soon as she finished speaking, Vera pulled the putter.

Buzzing boom—

198

Chapter 198 The Caged Bird (Refresh)

"Enemy attack! It's the Britannian Army!!"

No sooner had Layla finished speaking than the whistling sound of shells piercing the air followed.

Having already been hit first by shrapnel, the KMF mech was damaged by sniper weapons, its parts scattered, and the Yukiya Naruse's mech was engulfed in the explosive light of the falling shell.

Hiss!

With a tooth-grinding metallic tearing sound, the heat wave and shockwave lifted the nearly 4.4-meter-tall, 7-ton Alexander Type 02 Modified Aircraft several meters into the air. The damaged fuselage clumsily arced through the air, snapping several nearby trees in half.

Crackle... creak...

The sounds of flammable materials burning, trees snapping, and metal shells twisting and cracking were like the dying cries of a mech. It was also a signal for attack.

"Yukiya!"

With eyes blazing with rage, Ryo Sayama disregarded Akito Hyuga and Layla in front of him, turned back, and rushed toward his fallen comrade.

"Damn it! How could it be so fast? Didn't they announce that everything went smoothly during the landing?"

Drawing her KMF Combat Variable Sword, Ayano Kosaka piloted the melee-specialized Alexander at high speed, dodging artillery shells and rockets. While keeping a wary eye on her 'prey' in front of her, she also glanced at the group of clueless attackers with a hateful look.

The change in their identities came without warning. One moment they were hunters hunting down a spoiled young lady with a screw loose and her lackeys, and the next they were the prey, the EU airborne troops that the Britannian Army needed to annihilate.

Moreover, they were rebels who attacked the commander of the W-ZERO forces, belonging to Britannia, and were hostile to both the EU and the EU. At this moment, they were the three lone wolves in the most awkward situation.

"Commander, what should we do?"

Akid's voice came through the loudspeaker.

Ignoring Ayano Kosaka's mecha, he activated the composite sensor unit in the mecha's head—the Reality Detector—while protecting Layla as she retreated to rejoin the approaching Wyvern Team, and simultaneously scanning the Britannia armored cavalry force that was charging towards them.

They have the fifth-generation fighter [Sunderland] and the sixth-generation fighter [Gloucester]. They are painted in red and have the Wing Blade emblem. They are the Order of Saint Michael.

The seventh-generation fighter [Vincent], which is described in intelligence as belonging to the Third Princess Royal Guard, has not yet been detected.

"Have we been discovered...?"

Layla's expression was complicated, as if she regretted it or blamed herself.

"That's true. The trouble caused by Ryo Sayama and his two companions..."

The Order of Saint Michael were stationed at Daugavpils. Even though they were under continuous attack from the Minsk Front Army, the troops who had been rotating and resting in the rear were still highly skilled in tactics and techniques.

What a great start, but those three ruined it.

Even someone as good-tempered as Layla couldn't help but feel a sense of resentment, both towards the rebellious behavior of Ryo Sayama and his two companions, and a self-reflection on her own negligence.

Perhaps she should spend more energy and time on them, and do more ideological work or something.

"Notify all Wyvern Team units! This is Lelouch Malcar. The infiltration operation has been detected. All troops, accelerate towards me. Pay attention to the area I marked, 23D-1026. Launch an immediate attack and rout the enemy in front! Then, attack the rear of the Britannian Army's positions according to the pre-arranged plan!"

With her teeth clenched, Layla took a deep breath and decisively said, "Akid, go and support Zoshan and the others. The Britannian Army has already discovered us, and they know what to do. Unless they are willing to surrender to Britannia, the despotic empire that conquered their homeland and reduced them to the District 11 people."

Upon hearing this, Akid chuckled and shook his head.

"It really is an order from you, Commander."

In this situation, the first reaction of an ordinary person should be to kill the traitor, right?

"Yes!"

However, with other squad commanders connected to the communication channel, he did not raise any objections. He decisively operated the mech control lever, switching from pull to push. The High-Mobility Drive Wheel roared, kicking up mud and debris, and 'Hannibal's Wraith' roared out to attack!

At the same time, Ryo Sayama arrived beside Yukiya Naruse was sniping from the outermost circle.

"Hey, Yukiya! Answer me! Yukiya! Cheer up! Didn't you promise that no one would die?!"

While righting his partner's damaged mech, Ryo Sayama operated the weapon module on the Vanguard Specialized Alexander, unleashing a barrage of firepower towards the enemy.

Inside the dented and damaged oval cockpit, Yukiya Naruse was torn apart by shrapnel that pierced through the cockpit from the side, and he was suspended inside by the seatbelt like a puppet with its strings cut.

His abdomen was stained red, and blood dripped onto the dashboard.

Hearing Ryo Sayama's call, he struggled to open his mouth, but found he couldn't speak at all. Blood and foam flowed from his mouth and nose like a broken string of beads. Struggling, he could only silently communicate his words through the gaping hole in the cockpit using lip reading:

Run!

Ryo Sayama understood.

"What are you saying? We—"

A high-explosive grenade shattered the massive tree that served as their cover—a towering ancient tree that would require three Alexander to encircle. It also interrupted Ryo Sayama's words and his actions as he tore through the cockpit armor to rescue his comrades. "Damn it!"

He had to pull Yukiya Naruse's damaged fuselage close to the roots of the ancient tree.

By the time Ryo Sayama got up again while operating the mecha, an Order of Saint Michael were already close at hand.

He could already hear the rustling of the captains' capes as they moved at high speed.

A glint of cold light appeared first.

Next up is the brass-colored large electromagnetic long gun for KMF combat.

Ryo Sayama swung his combat crutch at the KMF in a panic, and with a clang! Although the mech swayed and the instrument panel showed wear on the mech arm, changing from green 'good condition' to yellow 'structural damage', it at least deflected the force of the lance, which slammed into the ground, embedding itself three feet deep and sending mud flying everywhere.

That's some serious power from Britannia!

As someone who had piloted the Glasgow, a fourth-generation machine that had been smuggled in and used during training with the Order of Saint Raphael Knights, and who had used it to wreak havoc in the siege of KMF mechs used by the Paris riot police, Ryo Sayama had to admit that, in terms of Knightmare, Britannia's manufacturing technology was superior to that of the EU.

This was his first time facing Britannia's armored cavalry.

The adrenaline seemed to exude the scent of blood and iron, making Ryo Sayama increasingly agitated. Severely injured and unable to hold on much longer, Yukiya Naruse was trapped in a pincer movement. What to do? What should he do?!

Should we surrender?

Kneel at the feet of the Britannia princess like that Kururugi?

Surrender again only to rebel again?

No, that's impossible. That Layla isn't some naive and innocent girl like Vera. She'll probably be a dog for life. Besides, given the autocratic and authoritarian climate in Britannia, anyone who disagrees with kissing their boss can be executed without hesitation.

Just as Ryo Sayama was caught in a long yet fleeting internal struggle, "Ryo!"

It's Ayano Kosaka's voice.

She also rushed over in her mecha.

"Don't come any closer!"

His expression changed drastically, Ryo Sayama almost screamed, "Get cover!"

But even faster than his warning came. "Glory to Britannia!!" ×N.

The Order of Saint Michael's battle cry was as chilling as the scythe of death.

The next moment, the attacking Britannia armored cavalry wove a dense web of fire with electromagnetic assault machine guns, cannons, and high-angle-dropped 'Hydroxide Cluster Bomb' (a type of cluster bomb), instantly covering Ayano Kosaka's advance path.

The Hydroxide Cluster Bomb unleashed a barrage of hundreds of ultra-high-temperature bullets into the air.