Operation Dawn, the battle in which Alternative IV would demonstrate its results on Sado Island, had drawn the attention of the entire world.
As this nation's Shogun, Yuuhi Koubuin was also watching the battle.
She had seen the power brought by that mysterious machine, and with it, she had seen hope that the BETA could be defeated.
So from that moment on, she no longer hesitated. She would support the plans of Professor Kouzuki Yuuko and Director Sakon Yoroi.
Those plans would make the nation bleed as well, but the support they would secure in return was entirely worth it.
Then, when the XG-70b Susano-O Mark II was still half a kilometer from its firing point, the dead screen made Yuuhi shoot to her feet.
"W-what happened, Director Yoroi?"
She questioned the director beside her, her voice tense.
What exactly had happened? The monitor in front of her had suddenly filled with dazzling white light, and then contact with the front line had been lost.
If only this one display had failed, they could have suspected a problem with the unit itself. But it was not just this screen. Several other displays had also been transmitting the front-line operation.
All of them had been struck by some terrifying light in the same instant, and then their feeds cut out, turning into static.
"I don't know. I'll try contacting them now!"
Sakon immediately picked up the communicator and contacted the front line, only to receive hissing static in response.
He called others next. The result was the same, and more and more cold sweat gathered on his face.
Communications with the front line had been completely severed.
Had something happened here in the capital? Had someone detected what his plan was about to do and deployed signal-jamming equipment to seal off the Imperial Capital?
If that was the case, it would be preferable.
But this looked far more like the front-line units had been hit by some abnormal attack and lost contact directly.
Damn it!
He called the second-line units across the sea again.
Hm?
It connected.
"What happened?"
"It... it was an enormous beam. It fired in from very far away. It looked like it came from the Korean Peninsula!"
Those words made Sakon stare grimly at the image transmitted from that side. A gigantic beam more than ten times larger than one fired by a Heavy Laser-class seemed to have crossed the sea from the peninsula.
Could this be the Super Heavy Laser-class attack Yuuko had said might exist?
Had it fired directly from Hive H20 on the peninsula?
He immediately established another connection, this time with the orbital fleet, and received this image:
"It really fired a beam directly from Objective 20? Are you kidding me?!"
Even from space, the beam of light could clearly be seen plunging into Sado Island.
Wait. No.
The Earth was round. For a beam to fire from the peninsula to Sado Island, the ground and ocean should have blocked its line of sight.
A new image arrived. It showed the sky above Hive H20. In low Earth orbit, there was an abnormal BETA.
It looked as if more than a dozen Heavy Laser-class had been forcibly kneaded together, forming something like a dragonfly's compound eye. That thing had fired directly from near-Earth space.
Was this the Super Heavy Laser-class Yuuko had said might exist?
How had it reached space?
A new image appeared: a short video recorded from the ground. That thing had been launched from Objective 20.
"How is Sado Island?"
"There is intense electromagnetic interference. Contact is impossible. However, according to optical satellite imagery, no explosion has been observed, and we can still see the allied forces' artillery fire continuing."
Those words let Sakon and Yuuhi breathe a sigh of relief.
"Not good. It's preparing a second shot!"
In that instant, both of their hearts leapt back into their throats. They could see the gunports of the compound eye swelling continuously.
It was like a person taking a deep breath, expanding their chest.
"Then hurry up and shoot it down!"
...
Sado Island, inside the cockpit of the XG-70b Susano-O Mark II.
"A Super Heavy Laser-class attack? So this is the consequence of bringing in outside help?"
Yuuko could not help clenching her fists.
When she invited him to intervene, she had already prepared herself for unexpected changes caused by his involvement.
In particular, the machines he brought would likely stimulate the BETA even more easily.
So, in truth, the appearance of a Super Heavy Laser-class had been within Yuuko's expectations.
What she had not expected was that the Super Heavy Laser-class would not appear inside the Sado Island Hive, but come from the sky.
Fortunately, that super beam had been blocked by the shield he deployed. However, the beam did not vanish instantly. It continued irradiating the area.
That made the light grow stronger and stronger, until it looked as if a silver sun had undergone a helium flash.
Although it did not produce a massive explosion, it caused severe electromagnetic interference, cutting the current battlefield off from the outside world.
Even communication between units on the battlefield itself became difficult once they were more than one hundred meters apart.
However, the situation was gradually recovering. It would probably return to normal within five minutes.
But would the BETA give them five minutes?
That super beam might fire again at any second.
"Calculation complete. The source of the attack came from geosynchronous orbit directly above Objective 20."
The report came from Marimo.
"So it looks like that Hive launched it up there."
Then what exactly was that Super Heavy Laser-class?
Could it also possess spaceflight capability?
If it could, that would be truly disastrous.
But it did not seem likely. If it could fly, it would not have stopped precisely in that orbit.
At that moment, a sudden mechanical voice rang out, making Yuuko freeze.
"Marimo!"
"Yes. It's our turn to counterattack!"
They had already reached the firing point. Through the camera, Jinguuji Marimo could look directly at the Sado Island Hive.
Without hesitation, she began activating the attack program.
"Valkyrie Squadron and 19th Independent Guard Flight, move away from the XG-70b. Maintain a distance of at least one thousand meters!"
"Roger!"
"Chest safety hatches opening. Charged particle cannon charge rate rising. Fifty percent... fifty-five percent... sixty percent..."
The charging process was unbearably tense.
Would their charged particle cannon fire first, or would the Super Heavy Laser strike again first?
If the latter hit them first, could they withstand it this time?
Suddenly, he, who should have continued hovering along the Super Heavy Laser's firing trajectory, moved. He flew directly away from Sado Island.
"The target isn't the XG-70b. It's..."
The sudden transmission came from Mr. Kain. They saw him controlling his machine as it swept past nearby, then flew toward the sky at high speed.
The target was not the XG-70b?
Then who was it?
From Mr. Kain's transmission, it seemed as if he had been about to say who it was. But his voice cut off abruptly. In reality, his machine had exceeded the XG-70b's normal communication range.
Was he also moving away from Sado Island?
Marimo understood.
Mr. Kain had been targeted.
She took a deep breath, forced down her concern for him, and stopped thinking about his situation. Instead, she focused on her current mission.
"Eighty-five percent... ninety percent... ninety-five percent. Charged particle cannon fully charged!"
She pulled the trigger.
(End of Chapter)
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