Aparajita bared his teeth and stepped out of the shadows alongside Deputy Nelson and the other bloodstained knights, like demons of Hell birthed from some enormous shadow beast, setting out to exact vengeance upon the mortal world. Aparajita's battle robes were soaked in dark crimson blood, making the edges of the fireproof fabric even heavier. Apart from Aparajita and Nelson, all the other knights remained silent, their Power Armor blackened by dried blood. "I'm very interested in dirtying that shiny Power Armor of his. You can't stop me, you know. He may be highly skilled and carry the Sacred Guard halberd gifted by the Emperor, but I'm still going to try."
"Wait!" Deputy Nelson suddenly said. "New combat orders."
"Malcolm?"
"Yes. The Regent's spies have paid off." Deputy Nelson said, "Intelligence indicates that the Attilan clans are organizing forces for a counterattack. It definitely won't be the ragtag army we encountered before. Command has activated Delta-C Protocol. The Second Combat Group is contracting its defensive line to consolidate its strength. We can now order the First Combat Group to set up the killing ground."
Aparajita opened the command channel in his helmet as well. Its very existence felt like an impediment to combat. Though deeply impatient, he still reviewed the changes to the military deployment under Delta-C Protocol. The Heavy Cargo Elevator from Level 70 to Level 146 remained under the control of the Second Combat Group, but Malcolm had chosen to contract the defensive line around the clan residential district, Light Industry district, Generator Unit, commercial district, and, most importantly, the royal residential district from Level 146 to Level 189.
Under the original plan, the First Combat Group's twenty assault squads would capture those objectives as quickly as possible. But now Malcolm had decided to abandon the clan residential