The battle kicked off with a barrage from the Troye Unit's Garlion Customs, their Burst Railguns unleashing a storm of fire.
"Psychokinesis Field, full power! Adaman Halberd, activate! SP Boost, Nine-Tail Mode!"
With most of their guns trained on my Grow Savior, I cranked the Psychokinesis Field to maximum. Tapping my Ace Bonus, I burned SP to supercharge the Slime's capabilities, morphing the Adaman Halberd into nine whip-like tendrils to deflect as many rounds as possible.
"Echidna, fire all three missile types—disrupt their formation! W1 to W3, use Twin Beam Cannons and G-Railguns to pick off any stragglers!"
At my command, Echidna's Laz Angriff unleashed a salvo. Phalanx Missiles arced high from its back, a swarm of smaller missiles erupted from its handheld Linear Missile Launcher, and two Matrix Missiles launched from its shoulders, each splitting into four smaller warheads mid-flight, totaling eight.
"All units, focus on evasion!" Yuria's voice crackled through the open comm, audible over the monitor.
As Phalanx Missiles rained from above and Linear and Matrix Missiles closed in, the Troye Unit dodged with precision. Seizing the opening, our three El Eins units fired Twin Beam Cannons and G-Railguns at the scattered enemies. But, as expected of Troye, only two Garlions went down—a paltry result for an attack that would've decimated lesser foes.
"Sonic Breaker, huh? Troublesome," I muttered.
Most of their units deployed Sonic Breakers, using T-Dot Arrays to project energy fields that blocked the El Eins' attacks.
"Not good enough!"
With SP Boost juicing the Adaman Halberd's Nine-Tail Mode, I lashed out at the nearest Garlion—Leona's. The nine tendrils slashed through her unit, shredding its limbs. By some stroke of luck, the cockpit was spared, but her crippled machine crashed to the ground, motionless.
"Impressive, Axel. But we're not just going to roll over. All units, equip Option Nagikama!" Yuria commanded.
At her words, the remaining seven Garlion Customs began circling us in perfect sync, their coordinated flight proving their disciplined arrival was no fluke.
"Birdcage!"
Yuria's cry triggered a synchronized Burst Railgun salvo from all seven units—not at me, but at W2's El Eins!?
"W2, evade!" Echidna barked.
But the Birdcage maneuver was calculated to near perfection, leaving almost no room to maneuver. The sliver of space available was too tight for a mass-produced W's capabilities. Bullets from all directions tore through the El Eins, ending its pilot's life in a fiery burst. Per protocol, a disabled W self-destructs with Code ATA to protect classified tech, sealing W2's fate the moment it was incapacitated.
"Phantom!"
Through the T-LINK System, I activated 21 of the Grow Savior's Phantom units.
"So, that's the weapon from the footage that obliterated enemies in seconds. Seeing it in action is… overwhelming," Yuria said, her voice steady despite her words, her eyes burning with resolve.
"Then taste my fangs!"
At my will, three Phantoms targeted each Garlion Custom. But Troye's elite status wasn't for show—they dodged with flawless precision, deflecting near-hits with Sonic Breaker fields.
"Don't underestimate me."
I zeroed in on the Garlion farthest from Yuria, focusing my will on its attacking Phantoms. One Phantom dove from above with a laser blade, forcing an evasion. As the Garlion dodged, a second Phantom fired a laser from the right, blocked by the energy field. Almost simultaneously, the third Phantom drove its laser blade into the same spot, piercing the field and skewering the Garlion's torso.
"Even a T-Dot Array energy field has limits. Exceed them, and it's done."
Like the Psychokinesis Field on my Grow Savior, any barrier collapses under overwhelming damage. A Garlion Custom's field, not designed solely for defense, was no exception.
"That's six down. Ready to surrender?" I taunted.
"No way. You're down to four units yourself. We've still got the edge," Yuria shot back.
After a brief exchange, the battle resumed.
"W16, you saw it—multiple hits to the same spot can pierce their energy fields. A heavy hitter like the Laz Angriff's F-Solid Cannon might do it in one shot. Keep that in mind," I ordered.
"Understood. W1, W3, you heard him. Focus G-Railgun fire on single points," Echidna added, deploying the F-Solid Cannon's barrel.
The El Eins units used Twin Beam Cannons for suppression, prioritizing G-Railguns for precision strikes. I pulled the Halberd Launcher from Chronos' rack, locking onto a Garlion dodging Phantoms.
"All units, don't rely too heavily on energy fields. Focus on evasion, and watch for attacks exploiting your dodge openings," Yuria countered.
Tch, perfect timing. Ten seconds later, and I could've downed two or three more. But she didn't know about my trump card—a Spirit Command that ignores barriers.
"Direct Hit."
Muttering softly, I activated the Direct Hit command. My senses sharpened, like when using Focus. I wanted to use Effort too, but with SP Boost draining my reserves, I didn't have time to check my SP levels.
"There!"
Anticipating a Garlion dropping its energy field, I fired the Halberd Launcher. Beams lanced out, catching the unit the moment its field went down, blasting it to pieces.
"What, a fluke?" Yuria's shocked voice came through.
Seizing the moment, Echidna fired the F-Solid Cannon, piercing another Garlion's field and downing it. The double blow rattled a third Garlion, which lost balance mid-air.
"W1, W3, fire!" Echidna ordered sharply.
Two G-Railguns targeted the faltering Garlion. The first shot was blocked by its energy field, but the second, hitting the same spot, punched through, shattering the unit's lower half.
"Too slow!" Yuria countered.
Her Garlion closed in on W1's El Eins, cleaving it in half with an Assault Blade. No explosion, but the unit was scrap.
"Can't let you have all the fun," Yuria said, a triumphant smirk on her face.
"Three apiece now. But you're still not good enough!"
I extended Chronos' Beam Gatling Cannon, locking onto another Garlion.
"Focus."
Activating the Focus command, I pulled the trigger. The Garlion tried to dodge, sensing the barrel aimed at it, but Focus made tracking it effortless. The Beam Gatling's relentless barrage overwhelmed the energy field, blasting the unit apart. Almost simultaneously, Echidna's F-Solid Cannon took out the last Garlion besides Yuria's.
"Troye was tough, but it's over," I called out to Yuria's lone unit.
"Maybe. But as long as I'm still here, I can't back down—for my squad's sake."
She raised her Assault Blade, pointing it at me.
"Come on, Axel. One last duel."
"W16, I've got this. Stay out of it."
"But Lemon-sama ordered me to protect you!"
"Hmph. If I went down this easily, I wouldn't be the Special Operations commander."
Echidna nodded reluctantly.
"Adaman Halberd, activate. Here I come, Yuria!"
Pouring maximum SP into SP Boost, I shifted the Adaman Halberd to scythe mode, floored Chronos' boosters, and charged Yuria's Garlion Custom.
"Come, Axel!"
Yuria deployed her Sonic Breaker field, raising her Assault Blade high and rushing me. Her plan was clear: repel me with the field, then strike with the blade—a solid tactic against anyone not using SP Boost.
"Raaaargh!"
"Haaaah!"
Our shouts echoed across the battlefield. Just before her field could push me back, I swung the Adaman Halberd—not at the Garlion, but at the energy field itself. Yuria likely expected to deflect or weaken the blow, but the SP-fueled Slime's power tore through the field without resistance. The scythe arced, severing the Garlion's left arm, left leg, and right leg in one sweep. The Assault Blade flew off with the arm, and the unbalanced unit crashed, skidding dozens of meters across the ground before stopping.
"Yuria, you okay?"
"Yeah. Banged up all over, but I'll live," she replied, her voice strained but clear.
"Yuria, one last time… come with me?"
I don't know how much those words hit her. She stayed silent for a full minute before answering.
"Sorry, I can't. I'm the Troye Unit's commander, and I've got loyal idiots who stuck with me to the end. …I'm sorry."
"I figured you'd say that."
Yuria's always been stubbornly principled. I knew she'd refuse, but part of me still wanted my friend by my side.
"If I weren't in a position of responsibility… No, forget it. That's just regret talking."
"We're leaving. The Federation will pick up on this fight and send rescue soon. Hang in there until then."
"Yeah. When this war's over, let's meet again."
I couldn't respond right away. After this war, we'd likely never meet again. But if that promise eased her heart, even a little…
"Yeah. See you."
Character Stats: Axel Almer
Level: 23
PP: 65
Melee: 198
Ranged: 216
Skill: 208
Defense: 205
Evasion: 233
Accuracy: 255
SP: 326
Ace Bonus: SP Boost (Consumes SP to enhance Slime performance)
Growth Type: All-Rounder/Special
Terrain Adaptability:
Air: S
Land: S
Sea: B
Space: A
Spirit Commands:
Accelerate (SP 4)
Effort (SP 8)
Focus (SP 16)
Direct Hit (SP 20)
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Skills:
EXP Up
SP Boost (SP Up Lv.9 & SP Recovery & Focus)
Psychokinesis Lv.7
Attacker
Gunfight Lv.8
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Kill Count: 78