As the blood-red setting sun was about to be swallowed by the gray-black horizon of the dense forest, the assault began. Like a heavy breath, dozens of vector engines dragged bright tail flames and deathly screams as they smashed into the last stronghold held by Trinity mercenaries and Quetzalcoatl Cult members.
The only M6 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle inside the Trinity stronghold had no time to react before a Hellfire Knight wielding a Chainsaw Sword crashed down onto its roof, crushing the spine of the coaxial machine gunner who had poked his head out. The knight slashed at the barrel of the M242 Bushmaster 25mm autocannon with his Chainsaw Sword. The collision between the high-speed monomolecular chainblade and high-strength alloy threw up a shower of sparks. Latveria's advantage in materials science became plainly evident in mere seconds—the barrel lying on the ground was the best proof.
The Veteran Sergeant fired several shots from his Explosive Rounds Pistol at the Stinger Anti-Aircraft Missile mounted on the vehicle. Finally, he pried open the roof hatch and tossed in a Plasma Grenade dispensed by the grenade launcher. His companions stood guard around the vehicle, eliminating anyone who tried to interfere with their operation. One of them even opened the driver's hatch and shot the driver inside, then shut the hatch again, using the corpse to block the crew's escape route.
"Mission complete!" The Veteran Sergeant led his squad in a swift retreat, avoiding the shockwave caused by sympathetic ammunition detonation. A translucent map was projected onto the HUD of his helmet's electronic eyepiece, using military symbols to mark his squad's location and the position of their next target. This information had all come from reconnaissance drones circling overhead. "Anti-air fire destroyed!"
"HQ copies."
The violent explosion lit up the entire battlefield in an