18 Annihilation
Before regaining composure from the shock, the Second Fleet’s assault frame unit begins deploying around the Trishula.
Half of them are identical to the Raven they ride, but the other half are Griffons—cyborg battalions.
“Chi!”
A figure aboard one of those units becomes visible.
Jin scans the surroundings.
——No good.
He cannot deny the absence of any chance of victory.
They have just finished combat with a colossal entity and are exhausted.
Worst of all, they are not prepared to fight humans.
Opposing them is an unscathed fleet and an assault frame unit.
Moreover, assuming the enemy is unprepared for combat against people is overly optimistic.
Fighting head-on will result in total annihilation.
If the enemy intends it, it will undoubtedly happen.
And Jin does not believe that is not their intention.
If Jin’s assessment is correct, there is no reason for the Second Fleet to hesitate in annihilating them.
They have just removed that reason—only moments ago.
Ironically, the Second Fleet’s reckless assault, without regard for consequences, now confirms Jin’s assessment.
A bitter irony.
And now that it has come to this, Jin must return to the Third Fleet as soon as possible.
He must confirm Mio’s safety.
To do that, he must survive this place.
“Griffon twenty-four… incoming! Form ranks! Obis!”
He raises his voice to command the instructors, about to call the name of his second-in-command.
Then he realizes.
The second-in-command will never emerge from within the colossal beast again.
For years, the loyal subordinate who understood Jin’s intent and spread it throughout the unit—there is no such person now.
"Formation, arrowhead... If you don't want to die, meet them head-on! Good, right?"
One-third of the training unit was already lost.
Jin's frame was, needless to say, on the verge of total destruction. No other unit remained unscathed.
Still, they had to fight.
There were no weak cadets who claimed they couldn't fight without full readiness.
Yet the loss of the副官 was a severe blow.
Deployment was slower than usual.
And in that time, the enemy closed the distance.
"Fast...!"
Facing them directly, the speed was startling.
Relative velocity: 7 km/s. The griffon outpaced them by nearly 1.5 times.
At first, both sides merely tested each other with rifles.
The performance gap was immediately apparent.
Range differed. The enemy’s enlarged ether rifle had a longer range.
Greater reach meant they could attack unilaterally during that span.
Distance closed further.
The distance to the enemy’s armor surface became visible.
“Draw blades! No hesitation! Assume they are ASID!”
As he spoke, Jin could not help but acknowledge the human within the opposing unit.
The others likely felt the same.
Preparation for close combat was delayed by a few seconds.
In this velocity regime, that amount of time allowed for a two- or three-kilometer advance.
The two forces passed each other.
A flurry of ether daggers exchanged in the moment of overlap.
The standard tactic followed: both sides turned, spiraling again in a figure-eight pattern, colliding once more.
The same principle applied, whether against ASID or human.
Jin was once again struck by the turning radius.
It was small.
A small radius meant a short turning duration.
Simultaneously, G-force on the body increased.
A turning speed far beyond what a human body could endure.
By the time he turned, the opponent was already approaching.
The fact that acceleration time remained meant a disadvantage in speed—exactly what the human body could not endure.
No matter how advanced battlefield weaponry became, it ultimately came down to a contest of kinetic energy.
The faster one prevails.
The Gryphon unit embodied that principle.
Against such a machine, Jin—already unstable—was overwhelmed.
Even under optimal conditions, he might have downed one Gryphon.
With limited visibility and limbs restrained, merely avoiding a fall was all he could manage.
Two Ravens had already fallen in this dogfight.
The situation worsened; panic spread.
The next encounter, with even greater numerical disadvantage, would result in further losses.
After two more such exchanges, total annihilation would follow.
No—Jin might still survive.
He did not delude himself into believing he could defeat twenty-four Griffons alone.
A battle with no discernible path to victory.
This held true not only for Jin, but for the fleet as well.
A clash between two Longinus-class mobile battleships.
It was becoming one-sided.
While the Gay Bolk had lost its main cannon, the Trishula remained intact.
The Trishula maintained distance, using secondary armaments to restrain, while steadily wearing down the Gay Bolk with its primary cannon.
The Gay Bolk could only retaliate by closing to melee range.
Even a single strike from Stalto would render a Longinus-class mobile battleship irreparable.
Yet, with both ships matching in speed, closing the distance proved no easy task.
And breaking away would prove equally difficult.
With no other choice, the fleet commander made the decision.
"Transmit to all vessels! Emergency Overlight preparation! Evacuate! Assault Frame detachment! Buy time until then!"
All will be destroyed if this continues.
So, a second-best course was chosen.
Licking dry lips, the commander mentally fortified themselves.
Even if the rook is lost, the game is not over.
"Targeting! Second Fleet enemy fleet. Ether Cannon guidance preparation. Field deployment. Move quickly!"
In the instant following the rapid succession of orders, the entire body of the 'Gay Volk' erupted with fire.
Countless trajectories each targeted a different ship.
The barrage, ineffective against the Longinus-class mobile battleship, delivered devastating blows to the Lombardia-class battleships and Rosario-class cruisers.
Taking advantage of the chaos, the assault frame units latch onto nearby vessels.
"All units, continue! Preparing to land!"
Jin and the others are no exception.
While firing suppression shots at the pursuing Gryphon, Jin attempts to land on a Lombardia-class battleship nearby.
Any point on the deck will do, if worst comes to worst.
Navigating through the battleship’s anti-air fire.
If Jin can do it, the cyborg squad can too.
After all, none of the other team members can be said to outperform the cyborg squad in skill.
Still, as the dense barrage concentrates on the Gryphon units, the space for evasion gradually diminishes.
Seizing the opening.
A sniper shot aimed at one Gryphon’s leg.
The Gryphon wobbled, losing balance—its body riddled by the ship’s anti-air fire.
A flicker of hesitation—momentary, brief—over the destruction of a friendly unit.
That was the final chance. Landing on the deck—more accurately, crash-landing—Jin scanned the surroundings.
'Gai Bolc' appeared to be positioning itself as a shield for the other fleet.
Despite being under concentrated fire, flames erupting from multiple points, there was no sign of retreat.
Thinking of Shirley, still there, Jin felt a sharp pain in his chest.
The urge to fly there immediately was overwhelming—but he knew, even if he didn’t voice it, that reaching her in this condition was impossible.
Just a few kilometers away. Yet impossibly distant.
Assault frame units were landing one after another on the other vessels.
It felt like clinging to the nearest ship, no matter the cost.
Several Ravens had already landed on Jin’s vessel.
Confirmation of containment complete. Vessel initiates Overlight.
"Each vessel, synchronize Overlight. Overlight start in three seconds. Two, one—"
Communication cuts abruptly.
The onset of Overlight is recognizable by experience.
Yet this is different.
Shuddering violently, unnaturally.
"Everyone, hold onto something on the hull—hold on! You'll be thrown off!"
Jin himself could only shout.
He knows that if he is thrown off, the next moment will find him abandoned before those ravenous hyenas.
Vessel fades, initiating spatial jump.
Then, barrage from Trishula descends.
Glancing toward the *Gay Bolck*, its countermeasures are nearly gone.
Simultaneously, the Overlight erases its form.
The Lombardia-class battleship that Jin had clung to, arriving later.
The Third Fleet Defense Fleet shipborne—unlike usual—was overcome by an unpleasant tremor as it retreated.