Buzz—
With a low mechanical hum, the massive transport aircraft landed in the center of the PROJECT forces. Chris and Boros were already waiting there for the being inside to emerge.
As the cargo bay door slowly opened, a towering figure stepped into view.
Having detached the energy conduits connected to its body, Oblivion slowly walked out of the transport bay.
The overwhelming pressure it radiated made several nearby soldiers instinctively tighten their grip on their weapons. The entire area fell silent.
Chris and Boros stared in open amazement.
"Guess it really lives up to the name… the ultimate fusion of every combat cyberware."
"If this were back in the day, I probably wouldn't even dare stand in front of that thing…"
"Who do you think is piloting it?"
"Who knows. As long as it's not Renekton, that guy…"
"True. As long as it's not him, it's manageable…"
Chris and Boros spoke quietly among themselves.
"Chris, there's no need to wait any longer. Arrange for the Sovereign-class fighters to transport me over. We need to finish this situation as quickly as possible. The longer we delay, the greater the risk."
Suddenly, Oblivion's thunderous voice rang out near Chris.
Chris nodded immediately. He agreed with the plan—just as Roland said, delays could change everything.
If they moved too slowly and the New United States withdrew their main forces, a nuclear strike might come down at any moment.
But that voice…
Chris's eyes widened slightly.
"Boss?"
"Yes, it's me. Stop standing around."
Roland replied impatiently. Seeing that Chris still hadn't moved, he frowned, and the tail behind Oblivion lashed lightly against the ground.
Chris snapped out of his shock and quickly left to carry out the orders. Mudor had never told him the details, so he had no idea Roland himself was piloting Oblivion.
But there was no time to dwell on it.
He quickly arranged everything, and before long, four Sovereign-class fighters slowly landed nearby. A ring of work robots surrounded Oblivion, rapidly installing specialized equipment onto its body to secure it during transport.
Soon, the robots cleared a large open space.
"Boss, everything's ready! All the transport equipment for Oblivion has been installed!"
"Good. Have the troops catch up as quickly as possible. Don't waste time."
Roland nodded.
"Understood!"
Chris immediately issued orders for the entire force to accelerate forward. Slower soldiers were assisted by robots to increase their movement speed.
Once everything was set, Roland gave Chris a nod.
Chris instantly ordered takeoff.
The four Sovereign-class fighters lifted off together, carrying Oblivion suspended between them. Moments later, they accelerated toward the New United States main forces.
Boom—
After a sonic boom echoed through the sky, the four Sovereign-class fighters activated their linking system and shot forward like a streak of light, disappearing into the distance.
Meanwhile, the New United States officer in charge of the retreat operation received a radar alert.
When he looked at the satellite feed and saw that streak of light again, his heart sank.
"Quick! Quick! Quick! Report to command! Tell them the PROJECT fighters have launched again and are heading straight for us!"
"Yes, sir!"
Upon learning the situation, Maitoh felt a wave of unease.
This retreat operation was his final chance. If he failed again…
He would almost certainly face a military tribunal.
When Myers received the frontline intelligence, her expression changed as well.
Every action taken by PROJECT had a purpose—and they always achieved results. In other words, they never fought unprepared battles.
Sending their strongest fighters straight toward the New United States main force like this meant they were planning something big.
They couldn't afford to take it lightly.
Gritting her teeth, Myers finally issued the order to deploy the New United States' most advanced fighters. These aircraft were extraordinarily expensive, and she hadn't even used them during the Idaho operation because she thought it wasn't necessary.
But now…
If she didn't deploy them, it might soon be too late. After all, the other fighters couldn't even catch their exhaust.
Soon, the Sovereign-class fighters appeared above the New United States forces.
The troops below stared up nervously, treating them like an approaching catastrophe.
"Designated destination reached."
"Copy. Begin lowering altitude."
"Safe altitude reached. Decelerating. Preparing for deployment."
"Safe speed confirmed. Units One and Two ready to disengage connection."
"Copy. Situation stable. Disengage!"
Hiss—
With a burst of venting gas, two cables suddenly retracted back into the Sovereign-class fighters. Oblivion's massive body was now supported by the remaining two aircraft.
The other two fighters began circling the area, establishing an aerial defense perimeter.
At the same time, fighter jets from the New United States finally arrived at the battlefield.
Seeing this, the remaining two Sovereign-class fighters released the final restraints.
A massive figure plummeted from the sky.
Panic immediately spread through the New United States troops below as they hurriedly cleared a large open area to avoid being crushed.
Midair, Roland spread his arms.
Gripping the Moon Blade, he adjusted his posture and plunged toward the ground.
BOOM—
A thunderous impact erupted, sending sand and dust roaring into the air.
The surrounding troops instantly activated the scanning functions of their tactical goggles, trying to see through the dust cloud.
Very quickly, a massive heat signature appeared.
Roland planted one hand on the ground and threw his head back, unleashing Oblivion's ferocious roar.
Here, there were no friendly forces nearby.
He could go all out.
Then…
Dominus State, activate.
"ROAR!!!"
A terrifying storm exploded outward in an instant. The surrounding temperature skyrocketed as razor-sharp energy particles tore through everything nearby.
Anything that came close was instantly sliced in half.
At the same time, the Moon Blade swung outward, releasing a circular wave of energy.
Slash—
Nearby tanks, armored vehicles, and mechs were cut cleanly in two. The edges of the cuts still glowed with the terrifying heat of the strike.
Roland's voice boomed across the battlefield.
"Let me crush straight through you!!! ROAR!!!"
...
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