Above the burning alien ship a white mecha hovered, its weapons pointing downwards in case something unexpected came out. After a few minutes passed and no threats came out, confirming the ship's demise, the rider made a call.
"I have visual confirmation. Alien ship #3 has been obliterated, along with all of its residue." Her voice was calm and collected, unlike a person in the middle of a war.
It took only a second for her to receive her orders.
"Good work, Claire. Now that we have made sure that the ship that had attacked the base your grandfather is currently located at is gone, will you join the offensive against the command ship? The Elites coming out are getting harder and harder to control."
Usually, it wasn't a matter of if a soldier was willing to fulfill their orders since they didn't have a choice. However, Claire was such a valuable asset that no one was stupid enough to try and command her.
"If they have survived until now, they can hold a tad bit longer. I want to make sure that the old fool is alive."
Without waiting for a response, Claire cut off the connection and began to head towards Base #85, only to stop a few moments later as a powerful aura passed over her body.
"What was this killing intent? It must belong to at least a dozen Elites, if not more. Grandpa might really get himself killed!" Cursing bitterly, she accelerated her flying speed severalfold.
'Huh?' Only to be left confused by the scene in front of her. A man gripping a greatsword was standing unfazed before 40 Elites that had created a half circle around him.
'By the looks of his clothes, he is a captain, and the nearest base from here is Base #85… Has this man sacrificed himself in order to bait the Elites?'
Once the realization passed, Claire didn't hesitate to redirect her movements towards them. If the Elites really had been baited here by the young man, then he would have lessened the pressure on his base significantly, increasing the odds that her grandfather was alive.
'I don't usually do this, but I can't just ignore the situation.' She figured. The only thing that eluded her was why the man looked like he was about to pounce on the Elites, seemingly unconcerned about his own safety.
Back on the ground, the Elites grew enraged, eager to get rid of Michael's vile aura. They directed the large cannons they were carrying with their upper arms and fired at will.
BOOM!
The ground beneath his feet shattered, yet he remained unharmed, using Blink to get out of harm's way.
"They won't be able to use their ranged attack for a few seconds." Michael sneered, his crimson eyes bearing on them.
'You really think you have a chance, huh? Then be my guest. Show me how wrong I am.' His sword had given up on changing Michael's mind. His owner seemed sure that he could get rid of the Elites, so there was nothing to be done about that.
Using Dash, Michael moved faster than the Elites expected, catching them by surprise. Raising his sword, he was about to use the momentum to behead the closest foe.
His plan was quite simple. He was going to stall for time, using Dash two times every minute. He was confident he could get rid of the Elites in about 30 minutes.
'Of course, my attack can fail. But I will abstain from thinking about the worst for now.' He thought. Without showing hesitation.
However, just before he reached the Elite, he was forced to stop by a blinding light that came from his left.
Boom!
In the span of a heartbeat, several large rockets dug deep into the ground amongst the Elites.
The next instant they began to glow red before exploding in a violent burst.
BOOM!
Michael was sent back by the powerful shockwave. Skidding on the ground, he raised his gaze, anticipating a retaliation from the Elites.
"They are dead?" He muttered in surprise, seeing their bodies reduced to nothing more than charcoal.
'Only one thing can have that much firepower…' Just as expected, he saw an elegant mecha descending on the ground.
"To think that I got saved by a passerby mecha. A fortunate event indeed." He chuckled before saluting.
"You have my gratitude." Since the mechas were few, their riders couldn't waste too much time on a single encounter. He expected for the mecha to take off after seeing that he was still alive.
But to his shock, the hatch that kept the rider safe opened on its own. Amidst the smoke, a staggering woman with white hair and blue eyes showed herself. On her body was a white bodysuit that clung to her every feature, enhancing her curves even more.
'I recognize her!' Michael immediately realized he had seen the woman in his prior life. She was Claire, the proclaimed genius mecha user that played a significant role in countless battles for the solar system.
'What are the chances that I find her here? I didn't get the chance to speak with her much in my past life, so I didn't even know she had been stationed here… Or maybe she came as a result of me warning Victoria?' Michael wasn't sure if the encounter was due to his own actions or due to fate.
Once Claire fully showed herself, her gaze locked onto Michael.
"Identify yourself."
"Michael, I became captain of Base #85 quite recently." He wasn't sure why she was bothering him with her question, but he wasn't going to refuse. Not only was her authority equal to, if not higher than, a general's, but she was a vital ally that he could use in the future.
"Just as I thought… Tell me, what are you doing here?"
"The base was going to be overrun by Elites sooner or later, so I baited them away." He said nonchalantly.
'So he really was going to sacrifice himself.' Claire thought, struck by his casual show of heroism.
"What were you going to do if I didn't show up?"
Michael shrugged. "I was going to kill them."
"..."
Unsure if he was just joking or if he was mental, Claire remained silent for a few seconds before shaking her head.
"Never mind then. Since my grandfather should be at your base, can you tell me if you know what his condition is?"
Michael was surprised by her question. He didn't remember seeing many old people in the military.
"May I know his name?"
Claire nodded before answering casually.
"His name is Bryce."