Climbing up a tall tree, William Carter carefully observed the situation on the battlefield. If those twelve centipede-like Federal ground combat mechs could withdraw from the battlefield, William Carter wouldn’t mind following them from the shadows as they retreated. Of course, a smooth retreat would be ideal, but if they encountered a small number of enemies, at least he could rely on this not-insignificant force. If they ran into a large enemy force, William Carter would disappear without a trace, like a tiny star beside the sun.

The focus of the battle had shifted to the small hill that William Carter had just left. Two Federal "Honor 15" ground combat mechs had already rushed ahead to the hill, followed by a squad of Imperial "Saint Armor 22" single-soldier mechs, swarming like a group of crazed bees. Some formed a skirmish line, relentlessly assaulting the two "Honor 15"s. Others activated their high-speed rocket boosters, flanking the hill, completely ignoring the risk of becoming easy targets for the "Honor 15"s due to prolonged airtime.

The Federal forces were in a precarious situation. If they couldn’t shake off the enemy in front and lost control of the high ground behind, the battle would be lost. Only by holding the small hill and using it as a defensive point could most of the mechs break away from combat.

The headset was filled with silence.

“Damn it! Screw it, we’re 2119, let’s go. Brothers, take care of my old lady for me.”

One "Honor 15" closest to the hill broke away from the battlefield without cover, charging madly toward the top.

The exposed L9-2119 instantly became the target of everyone’s fire. In just a few hundred meters, its defense shield was battered into a dangerous red.

“2119, get your ass back here.”

“Open fire, open fire!”

“Let’s go, guys, we can’t let 2119 die before us.”

“There are no cowards in the Lelei Federation.”

“Boys, are we warriors?”

“We are!”

And!

“We always have been!!”

All the Federal "Honor 15" mechs let out a high-pitched roar. In unison, they charged out of their positions, the rotary energy autocannons on top of their mechs firing at maximum output. At the same time, their energy shields quickly turned pale red. This meant that, to cover 2119, these mechs had unhesitatingly cranked their energy valves to the attack maximum, completely abandoning the shields they relied on for survival.

“Haha, this is fucking awesome! Gacharin bitches, take your beating.”

“Imperial little fleas, let me teach you a lesson.”

“This missile’s for your mom, and this one’s for your dad.”

The Imperial troops were stunned by the sudden surge of Federal firepower. The twelve red mechs charging out were like twelve reapers leaping from hell, glowing red all over, swinging their deadly scythes, and unleashing a torrent of missiles like a downpour of meteors.

“L9-2108, enemy concentration at 1 o’clock, open fire!”

“L9-2117, advance!”

“L9-2121, advance!”

“L9-2119, keep going! Guys, we’re almost there.”

“L9-2110, advance!”

“L9-2111, screw you 2119, that spot is mine.”

“L9-2106, charge up there, don’t fall behind those bastards.”

“L9-2133, advance.”

“L9-2129, brothers, let’s go.”

“L9-2101, advance!”

Perched in the tree, William Carter trembled uncontrollably, goosebumps instantly covering his skin. He didn’t know if this reaction was from excitement or fear. All he knew was that he would never forget this scene: one "Honor 15" with its shield down to red, madly closing in on the hill; two others, having abandoned their defensive energy, desperately blocking the swarming Imperial mechs; and nine more, also having given up their shields, pouring out every last bit of firepower while converging on the hill, drawing enemy fire.

“Advance! 'Honor 15'!”

The twelve "Honor 15" ground combat mechs played a resounding charge to the heavens with their thunderous fire and burning blood.

The sudden counterattack by the "Honor 15" mechs caught the Imperial troops off guard. Although they had the advantage in numbers, they were all single-soldier mechs, which, aside from agility, had no real advantage against medium mechs. A single direct missile hit or two energy cannon shots could easily destroy a "Saint Armor 22".

One after another, "Saint Armor 22"s exploded into fireballs under the Federal army’s furious barrage, and the firepower advantage the Imperial troops had relied on was rapidly slipping away. Now, the ratio of mechs on both sides was down to 5:1. In other words, there were only about sixty Imperial single-soldier mechs left with attack capability, and after prolonged fighting, the five light missiles each "Saint Armor 22" carried were nearly depleted. The battlefield’s reserve firepower had dropped to a dangerously low level. Without missiles, the twin onboard machine guns could do little more than scratch the "Honor 15"s.

The "Honor 15"s’ fight-to-the-death tactics left the Imperial troops terrified. Losses mounted rapidly, with one panicked Imperial single-soldier mech after another being hit. Panic spread uncontrollably among the Imperial ranks. Those within the Federal fire coverage didn’t even dare lift their heads, scrambling for shell craters or cover.

War is a strange thing.