Boarding the Flao Battlecruiser

The withered, bird-like elder holding a staff waited for the eight people to arrive before him.

"The destined hour has arrived. It is time to enlighten the people of Vostonia, to let them know that the God of All Machines is a hollow, false god, and only the God of Wisdom is the true deity."

The elder's voice was shrill, like the cry of a bird.

Zielinski asked with confusion, "High Priest, we are still eleven stellar years away from our planned time of enlightenment. Why must you initiate it early?"

"Zielinski, My Lord has already sent down the revelation. The destined hour is at hand."

Upon hearing this, the eight priests bowed their heads in unison: "We obey the High Priest's command! Praise the God of Wisdom!"

The High Priest extended his left claw and pointed at Zielinski.

"Zielinski, you are the first link in the plan. How is the execution of the Light of Enlightenment Project, which you are responsible for igniting, proceeding?"

"High Priest, the foolish Piatek Swiderski is already my puppet. He will execute any order I give."

"Very good, Zielinski. You attained true wisdom before undergoing those foolish mechanical augmentations."

"As long as you make good use of the wisdom and enlightenment I have bestowed upon you, those foolish humans, the slaves of the false god, will all be your playthings."

The High Priest nodded with satisfaction, then questioned the other seven one by one.

"Execute the Enlightenment Project after nine work cycles."

"As you command, High Priest."

After the eight priests left, a trace of treachery flickered in the High Priest's blue eyes as he walked down the stairs.

Reaching the end of the corridor, he mounted a single-person assault skiff and let out a cackle.

"The Enlightenment Project is no longer important. My Lord has bestowed upon me a new mission—a plan that only I can complete."

Aboard the Piszczek, Rosicky discovered with astonishment that Nimrod's judgment was correct; the enemy ship A-II entered the Vistula Asteroid Belt at the exact time he had predicted.

He stared nervously at the holographic projection. Nimrod was so confident in his own judgment that he hadn't even dispatched the two destroyers to draw the enemy ship's fire. Instead, he performed tactical maneuvers in advance, allowing the Piszczek to appear directly behind the enemy ship just as it rounded an asteroid.

The gamble succeeded; the Piszczek avoided the coverage of the powerful cannons on the flanks of the A-II.

Rosicky could not help but feel respect for Nimrod. He had previously assumed this giant was merely powerful in combat, never expecting him to possess such terrifying calculation abilities.

[A flesh-and-blood body actually possesses calculation capabilities that surpass a mechanical frame!]

The Tech-Priest gained a bit more confidence in Nimrod's subsequent plan. He picked up the communicator and asked the boarding torpedo operator.

"Operator C-53, is the launch sequence ready?"

"It is ready."

"Execute the launch sequence immediately."

Boarding torpedoes were inferior to assault boats in maneuverability and armor, but they were generally smaller and harder to intercept.

Because he had to accommodate the giant Nimrod, Rosicky had specifically modified the boarding torpedo, increasing the height of the crew cabin so that he could barely stand inside.

The boarding torpedo, which could carry a strike team, could only fit Maria and the two other assassins in addition to Nimrod.

A mechanical electronic voice sounded in the crew cabin: "Detaching from the fixed torpedo rack."

"Promethium fuel ignited."

"Launch countdown."

Nimrod stood steadily within the crew cabin, listening to the broadcast.

"3."

"2."

"1."

"Thrusters ignite!"

Driven by the burning promethium, the boarding torpedo shot out like an arrow from a bow, instantly detaching from the Piszczek.

Maria and the two others felt their bodies lose balance, and the restraints pressing against their shoulders could not keep them steady during the rocket-like acceleration.

Their bodies lurched forward, slamming into the black armor of the giant in front of them.

Maria widened her eyes, seeing Nimrod before her, gripping the restraint rack firmly without even a sway.

She stubbornly gripped the handles in front of her shoulders, struggling against the G-force, and finally stopped just five centimeters from Nimrod's back.

The two assassins on the left and right stopped just before colliding with Nimrod's arms.

The mechanical broadcast sounded again: "Contact initiated, impact expected to last 17 seconds."

"Demolition prep! Countdown 3 seconds!"

"Bite down on your mouthguards."

Nimrod's reminder brought the three back to their senses, and they immediately complied.

"1."

The melta-charge module of the boarding torpedo detonated, and a deafening roar echoed through the crew cabin.

Maria and the two others immediately felt a massive force surge from the front, slamming them backward.

Even with their helmets on, the deafening roar left them dizzy and ringing with tinnitus.

The violent shaking and jolting turned the trio's faces pale, until a commanding voice rang out.

"Move!"

Only then did the three realize the crew hatch had opened, resting against the deck of the burning enemy ship.

Nimrod had already leaped out first; as he slammed heavily onto the deck, several aliens were crushed into pulp beneath him.

Maria pulled a pair of blades from the unlocked weapon rack and said, "Let's go."

She jumped out immediately after, taking a single step onto the hatch before launching herself into the air, pouncing toward a tall alien clad in a tight purple protective suit.

The alien turned to flee while drawing a serrated dagger from its body.

Suddenly, moving like a fish in water, it spun around in an instant and thrust the dagger toward Maria.

The alien's charged strike was as swift as lightning, but Maria, raised on chemical stimulants, reacted even faster.

She raised her left scimitar to parry the dagger while simultaneously swinging her right scimitar to slash at the alien's neck.

Maria immediately felt significant resistance; the folds of skin layered around the alien's neck were tougher than she had imagined, feeling much like layers of leather armor.

She did not panic, pulling her blade back while performing a somersault to land behind the alien.

Upon landing, she crossed her blades and slashed at both sides of the alien's neck.

As the shark-like, flat, and wide head hit the ground, Maria raised her left arm, surprised to find that the precision-forged scimitar in her left hand had actually developed a large notch from the previous parry.

Curious, she picked up the dagger and discovered it looked as if it were carved from a single piece of smoking crystal, with tiny fragments constantly flaking off the edge and falling to the ground.

Maria decided to test the weapon's power and lunged forward, rushing toward another alien.

She swung her scimitar to sever the alien's arm, then raised her left arm to stab at its neck.

The moment the dagger touched the alien's pleated neck, Maria felt distinct resistance.

She stared intently at the blade and suddenly saw a multitude of tiny fragments splintering off the edge, burrowing into the wound.

Amidst a faint sizzling sound, the alien wore an expression of agony before collapsing to the ground.

Maria picked up the dead alien's dagger and looked ahead, seeing an alien with eyes on the sides of its cheeks rushing rapidly toward Nimrod.

She opened her mouth to warn him: "His dagger..."

Before she could finish, she saw Nimrod thrust his halberd out, bypassing the dual daggers as the tip pierced through the alien's head.

Nimrod knew the Flao Glass Blade was renowned for its immense power and sharpness, capable of piercing ceramite; not wanting to damage his own weapon, he easily dodged the Flao's high-speed pounce and cut it down.