Boom!
As several xenos beam guns fired, the first line of Defensive Fortifications, the strongest of the entire defense line, finally collapsed under the strain.
A cloud of yellow-green dust billowed up.
Though the defenders resisted stubbornly and held their ground with determination, they were still no match for the xenos' powerful laser weapons.
Clink, clink!
The crystal-bodied xenos made several crisp sounds of crystal striking crystal, as though cheering the battle's smooth progress according to plan.
At the same time, more Crystalline Aliens descended from the warships to the surface, joining the extermination of the surviving humans.
In their minds, the battle had essentially ended at this stage.
The enemy's weak fleet had fled in panic after they passed through the Portal, leaving behind only these isolated surface defenders and a defensive fortress that was hardly impregnable.
And once the fortress had fallen, all that remained was the cleanup phase: hunting down battlefield deserters.
Countless defenders, as tiny as raindrops, had gradually fled as the fortress began to collapse, scattering across the Barren Crystal Plain like startled beasts fleeing in every direction.
The enemy had already broken.
Naturally, the Xenos Army had no more reservations. Their crystal bodies writhed as they advanced toward humanity's next defensive line.
They believed that beneath the overwhelming firepower of Focused Energy Weapons, which could melt all things, victory was merely a matter of time.
Until they saw the Automated Flying Mechs circling overhead.
"Teacher, I don't object to you seeking someone out for a duel."
"After all, in war, any tactic that works is a good tactic."
Kasgar was left speechless by Aqua's tactical thinking.
"But the prerequisite for a duel is finding the enemy leader, then breaking through their defenses before they slip away."
"And what that requires is the most crucial element of modern warfare—"
"Intelligence. Information."
Kasgar paused briefly.
"Look." He pointed at the Crystalline Constructs steadily advancing toward them outside the fortress.
These xenos had been blinded by the victory before them, believing our resistance was beneath contempt.
Without investigating the enemy's remaining firepower, they had charged forward in great strides to pursue the remnants.
"Now, they'll have to suffer a little for their arrogance."
As he spoke, Kasgar looked toward the Automated Mecha converging around them in the sky.
"What are those?"
"Automated Flying Mechs."
Aqua frowned.
Of course, she had heard of Automated Mecha. They were war machines frequently used by members of the Cybernetic Legion of the Martian Mechanicus, an ally of the Imperium of Man.
Following the directions of technical personnel, they could fire and provide cover, displaying tremendous strength on the battlefield.
But no matter what, they should not have been as tiny as the ones before her.
"Surprised?"
"This is the latest equipment. I proposed it, Fulgrim and Philus improved it alongside numerous Adeptus Mechanicus sages, and we finally secured a trial production run from a Forge World belonging to the Cybernetic Legion."
Kasgar explained with leisurely pride.
These Automated Mecha were extremely small, some even smaller than an ordinary person's palm.
Relying on their light weight and overwhelming numbers, they swiftly occupied Silent Star's skies, where poisonous clouds blotted out the sun.
"But they're so small. Even if they control the skies, what use are they?"
Aqua felt a trace of regret.
If they had been the Adeptus Mechanicus' colossal machines, the Automated Flying Mechs' overwhelming firepower would have long since crushed the xenos into a rout.
But the Automated Flying Mechs Kasgar had deployed were far too lightweight to carry any effective weapons.
They looked like toys flying through the air.
"Surveying."
"Or rather, obtaining the best and most timely intelligence."
Naturally, the xenos also noticed these unidentified flying objects.
Quite a few of them had already raised their Focused Energy Weapons and fired at these stubborn, harassing fliers.
The result was exactly like that old Terran saying—using anti-aircraft guns to swat mosquitoes.
The mosquito-sized Automated Flying Mechs had no defensive modules whatsoever.
To reduce costs, they did not even possess the most basic anti-gravity equipment, relying solely on wind power to fly.
How primitive!
Quite a few xenos carrying Focused Energy Weapons sneered at this.
Rather than waste ammunition on such crude and laughable creations, they might as well continue forward and destroy the enemy's Defensive Fortifications first.
After their initial moment of panic, they quickly calmed down in the face of such minor harassment, continued advancing, and stopped paying attention to these annoying flies.
And those Automated Flying Mechs
seemed to merely remain in the sky, doing nothing at all.
"What are they doing now?!"
Julius Cassalon, the Company Commander who had withdrawn to the second-tier fortress, fell into despair once again.
When he saw the Automated Flying Mechs spread across the sky like a vast net, his opinion of Kasgar changed dramatically.
Cassalon had originally thought Kasgar had merely gotten lucky and guessed the xenos' attack. He had not expected him to truly possess a secret weapon.
The sky full of Automated Flying Mechs blocked out the sun, allowing Cassalon to breathe a sigh of relief.
It seemed this guy really had prepared a backup plan.
Unfortunately.
He was prepared, but not enough.
As time passed, the xenos gradually realized that the Automated Flying Mechs seemed to be equipped with no weapons at all.
They could only provide a little simple harassment.
The xenos thus gave up wasting time clearing them out and instead continued advancing toward humanity's fortress.
Damn it!
Cassalon wanted nothing more than to fly straight into Kasgar's face and curse him out.
Did Kasgar even understand Automated Mecha?
Were they really all just reconnaissance drones?!
Though these Automated Flying Mechs were numerous enough to cover the sky, they carried no weapons whatsoever.
What use could they possibly have?
And that Auxilia calling itself the Chemos Guard—why had there been no sign of them since the first fortress collapsed?
Surely they had not all been buried inside?
Watching the Crystalline Construct-like xenos continue to advance toward them, Cassalon could only inwardly curse his bad luck.
Could it be
that this entire group of Sons of the Emperor would truly be buried at the hands of that utterly incompetent Kasgar?
Just as he was about to sink into despair, a notification suddenly appeared in Cassalon's helmet.
Real-time data transmission received. Expanding battlefield terrain map. Enemy troop deployment, personnel arrangements, defensive line visibility. Even the terrain's ravines and depth across the entire battlefield—countless pieces of battlefield data were all entered into his helmet's recognition system.
"This is..."
The ever-proud Company Commander Cassalon fell silent at that moment.
"The Chemos Guard is in position and ready to launch an attack."
"The Meltabomb Automaton is ready."
As unit after unit reported deployment complete through the communications equipment, Kasgar looked toward the ignorant xenos army still advancing.
He smiled.
"The time has come. All units, attention."
"Go."
Before you continue