038 Coordinated Assault

The collapse of an army often happens in an instant.

This strike was quite destructive, clearing out the drone swarm in the area. But the visual effect was even more stunning. The sky filled with sparks, combined with the earlier artificial meteorite crash, completely shattered the garrison.

Actually, that's not quite right. When Li Aoz led the allied forces forward, they found many soldiers surrendering by the roadside who weren't even willing to fire a couple of shots as a gesture. They lay exhausted on the ground, cigarettes in their mouths, waiting for someone to take them away.

This phenomenon further illustrates that the Grand Duke has lost the respect and love of the people. Bermudes's morale soared, and he fought even more bravely. Many dared to advance to a firing range of less than 100 meters, and even took the initiative to rush into street fighting and indoors, showing no fear of fighting the enemy head-on.

Seeing this, Li Aoz realized that the Duchy's forces were doomed, and judging from the Allied offensive, victory was inevitable sooner or later.

In that case, the final counterattack will also be coming.

When Li Aoz advanced to the Surut Palace, the troops of Sisron, Amanda, and others had already joined them. After a brutal battle, the number of allied forces was reduced by at least a quarter, but their results were encouraging. Most of the Gurant soldiers chose to surrender, and at least 2,000 were captured.

"Aoz!"

Alexia pushed her way through the crowd and excitedly threw herself at Li Aoz, burying her head in her arms and affectionately stroking his face. "Thank goodness, you're not hurt anywhere."

"Don't do this, Ellie —there are so many people watching." Li Aoz waved his hand slightly, trying to break free from Alexia's embrace, but unfortunately, his strength was far inferior to Alexia's. Her soft and warm arms actually had the power to flatten a road roller.

"It's nothing, just a hug." Alexia said, releasing her embrace. She wiped the ash from the corner of Li Aoz's eyes with her finger, then looked towards the Surut Palace:

"This is the ultimate goal, right?"

"Archduke Gamos is inside. Once we eliminate him and his henchmen, there will be no other obstacles."

As Li Aoz spoke, he glanced at his progress in Aura Awakening. It seemed that due to his continuous injections, his genes had become accustomed to the drug's properties, and the speed at which it took effect had begun to increase.

If things go smoothly, he can launch an attack four hours later and complete his third perfect mutation, directly advancing to the Beta-rank.

Ideals are always lofty, but the reality is far from optimistic.

On the one hand, time is of the essence. If there is any further delay, Archduke Gamos may mobilize the national armed forces to stage a "military expedition to the Advance to the Capital to Protect the Emperor," and then there will be no way to deal with it.

On the other hand, the entire Speria City cannot remain in darkness and exposed to the elements indefinitely. War may not necessarily kill many people, but the cold will. Once widespread cold and power outages occur, the Speria City will completely lose their confidence in and identification with the Allied Forces.

Upon seeing this, Sisron, who had become the leader of the military government, immediately nodded. "Amanda, you take Alpha's team and follow them to help them."

"Understood." Amanda called out, and a dozen or so Alpha Rank youths from the allied forces spoke earnestly to Li Aoz: "Let's unite as one, attack, and kill the Grand Duke!"

Li Aoz opened his mouth. Although he knew that the Alpha Rank was already their most elite force, if they were placed in Frostplate, they might only ever be bottom-tier Bounty Hunter. But he couldn't worry about that now. He would contribute whatever he could, and more people would be able to handle more unexpected events.

"Actually, the two of us are enough," Alexia explained. "These fine young men are the hope of your Grantian, and we—"

"Thank you for your help." Li Aoz shook hands with Sisron. "I will complete the mission."

Colonel Sisron nodded. After this battle, he had fully realized that the power of Beta-rank expert was something that ordinary soldiers could not possibly contend with.

At the same time, Sisron felt very sad, because the training and maintenance of these Alpha Rank warriors alone was already too much for them to bear.

If the Grantian had a more comprehensive industrial system and a more advanced education, they could also have a powerful Beta-rank like the Frostplate Citizen, which would have reduced the number of warrior casualties.

The assassination attempt was canceled, Alexia looked at Li Aoz in confusion.

"I don't want to lose my companions again because of my own lack of caution."

Li Aoz said to Alexia, "You're carrying a heavy burden; you can't just die so easily."

"Hmm, I think I understand..." Alexia rested her chin on her hand, her dark gold eyes blinking, and suddenly asked, "But, can I take this as you showing concern for me?"

"Let's say that." Li Aoz crossed his arms and turned his head away. "You should take action, Ellie."

"I will not die unless it is the end of the world," Alexia said. "Trust me, Groom."

Her words always carried a genuine confidence that made it impossible to doubt Alexia's seemingly naive statements.

Li Aoz nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Due to the narrow surrounding streets and the constant arrival of soldiers, the Surut Palace could not be captured in one fell swoop. Most of the Bermudes soldiers stayed outside to block the enemy, and relying on the previous fortifications, they surrounded the Surut Palace from the opposite direction.

A direct attack on the Surut Palace was not realistic. At this moment, the Grand Duke's Residence was under the heaviest defenses, with sentry guns almost every ten steps, and six Beta-rank guards holding off the attack.

The battle went relatively smoothly, and Li Aoz was surprised by the number of people who surrendered. The assassination plan, which was originally intended to be risky, could now be made more secure.

In addition, the base itself contains a large number of precious national treasures and cultural heritages, many of which are relics from the Old Era. Damaging them would be a serious offense, so the troops stopped there.

Alexia decided to split her forces into two groups: Li Aoz would launch a frontal assault, while Alexia would lead her men through an abandoned sewer to break through the defenses and shut down the power to the Surut Palace. This way, they could eliminate the Beta-rank guards one by one.

Finally, the two top combatants, Li Aoz and Alexia, directly confronted the Grand Duke of the Gamma Rank —without power supply, the Grand Duke had to fight them with his incompletely evolved body, making this the safest option.

At this point, Li Aoz stopped concealing his identity, removed his mask, opened his terminal, and started a live stream.

He needed to provide cover for Alexia's infiltration, just like when he flew into the sky before, to attract more attention.

The live stream title was simply and bluntly: "[Live Stream: Liberating the Colonies]".

He wanted to teach President Medvi what it meant to kill someone by destroying their spirit.