News that the Argos, the ship Liam was aboard, had charged into the enemy lines had reached the entire Banfield army.
On the bridge of her super-dreadnought battleship, Tia nearly fainted upon hearing the news.
She clutched her head with both hands, her face pale and her cheeks twitching.
"Lord Liam, noooo... Charging into the middle of a fleet of hundreds of thousands of enemy ships is insane..."
As Tia worried herself sick that Liam might be killed in action, Claudia desperately tried to calm her.
"I-It's alright, Lady Tia! It's Lord Liam we're talking about! I'm sure he'll return safely, and Lord Klaus is with him, too!"
To Claudia, who said it would be fine because Klaus—the man with many titles like 'Ever-Victorious,' 'Master Strategist,' 'Cold-Blooded,' and 'The Empire's Strongest'—was there, Tia retorted.
"That Klaus is the one who should have stopped him! That's what a head knight is for!!"
She was absolutely right.
Both Tia and Claudia had concluded that only Liam would ever attempt such a strategy.
And the one in a position to stop such a decision from Liam was the head knight, Klaus.
Even Claudia couldn't argue with that.
"Perhaps the burden was too much for him after all?"
Tia, swaying as if she might collapse at any mont, was still running her mind at full throttle.
Her knight-enhanced brain, a mind rare even among knights, exerted its full capacity to find a way out of Liam's crisis.
But no matter what she ca up with, the enemy in front of her... the enemy's left-wing fleet, was in the way.
"...We're switching to a swift assault. We can't afford to waste ti on the enemy's left wing. Spread the fleet out to the right."
The fleet led by Tia began to move, enveloping the enemy's left-wing fleet.
◇
anwhile, Marie was also screaming on her bridge.
She was screaming, clutching her head and leaning back so far that it was barely off the floor.
"Sobody stop Lord Liam, you idiots!"
Was this cry, a mixture of her fake high-class speech, an expression of her anger that no one had stopped Liam's actions?
Her adjutant, Heidy, thought to herself, I really don't want to talk to Marie right now... but since it was her job, she spoke up.
"Charging in with eight super-dreadnoughts ant to be his escort, huh? The main fleet is so shocked they're in disarray, but they've been ordered not to move, so they can't go help either."
Heidy sympathized with the poor souls in the main fleet.
They were supposed to be Liam's shield, protecting him.
And yet, Liam had dived right into the enemy's formation.
They couldn't fulfill their duty, and being ordered not to move, they couldn't go to his rescue.
"Well, I'd like to think it'll be fine since Klaus is with him... but this ti might be a bit too much, don't you think?"
Marie stood up and issued an order.
"The left-wing fleet will swing out to the left and surround the enemy's right-wing fleet! Imdiately!"
Marie had been contemplating various moves against Didi, but she changed her plans to rescue Liam from his predicant.
Coincidentally, she reached the sa conclusion as Tia, who was fighting on the opposite side, and the fleets on both wings, without coordinating, made the sa move.
Heidy noted the movent of the friendly right-wing fleet.
"Oh, looks like the other side is making the sa move."
Marie showed no interest in the report.
"I don't care about that minced-at woman! I'm sure she's just being her usual clever self, so just focus on crushing the enemy before us!"
Seeing Marie's unstable speech, Heidy comnted.
"Marie's broken. Guess that shows just how critical the situation is."
◇
The Argos and its super-dreadnought escorts had plunged deep into the enemy formation.
Klaus, commanding from the bridge of the Argos, appeared to be issuing orders calmly, without a single change in his expression.
But, as you might guess, he was panicking on the inside.
(Charging into the enemy lines to get surrounded is insane, but I can't think of any other way!? At this rate, the only thing I can think of is to buy ti until the main fleet can charge through the path we've opened!)
The enemy had superior effective range, and this charge was ant to reduce the damage from it.
Klaus continued to issue orders, his inner turmoil unnoticed by anyone.
"If the surprise attack by the mobile knight squadron is successful, order the main fleet to charge through the route we've carved out."
The communications officers imdiately relayed the order for the main fleet to begin their advance.
Looking around, there was nothing but enemies.
Moreover, the enemy was gradually recovering from their confusion.
The enemy fleet was reforming its lines to surround the Argos, aiming their main cannons to begin their attack.
The enemy placed their battleships and shield ships at the front, pulling back their cruiser and destroyer-class combat vessels to minimize damage.
In addition, their mobile knights were launching one after another.
The battle between the mobile knight squadrons began.
A battle forecaster reported that their mobile knight squadron was struggling.
"Our mobile knight squadron, currently engaged with the enemy's, is having a difficult ti. At this rate, many will not be able to return."
Hearing this, Klaus muttered.
"So the enemy's pilots and machines are both superior..."
(So little disorder, and so strong... They're true elites. If our reinforcents don't make it in ti, we could be beaten to a pulp...)
Klaus's gaze unconsciously flickered toward Liam.
Liam had been watching the battle from his dedicated seat, but upon eting Klaus's eyes, he grinned and stood up.
"Looks like it's my turn."
Facing the cheerful Liam, Klaus replied.
"...If this continues, we will have to ask you to sortie, Lord Liam."
(I really don't want to send him out! I don't, but...! I can't think of any other way to get through this situation!)
Klaus didn't want to rely on Liam, but in this situation, he had no choice.
Besides, it was Liam who had co up with this strategy in the first place.
He himself seed to be concerned about it.
"It's depressing to watch my escorts get whittled down like this. ...Prepare the Avid for launch."
Klaus relayed the instructions to his subordinates.
"Yes, sir! Rush the preparations for Lord Liam's Avid. Also, increase covering fire for the mobile knight squadrons. Have the units with the heaviest damage retreat and be recovered imdiately."
(My stomach... my stomach hurts. But we can't lose here... Hold on, my stomach!)
◇
Arriving at the dedicated hangar where the Avid was stored, I touched the golden bracelet on my left wrist, and my clothes changed in an instant.
My casual wear switched to a pilot suit, and I kicked off the ground, flying into the Avid's cockpit.
Literally flying.
In the zero-gravity hangar, the maintenance crew held their salutes until I entered the cockpit.
Once the launch sequence began, it would be dangerous for the maintenance crew to remain in the hangar.
I returned the gesture with a light nod and entered the dim cockpit, taking off my helt.
When I gripped the control stick, the Avid began its full start-up sequence, and the monitors all ca to life.
They displayed the surrounding view.
I could see the maintenance crew evacuating.
"I didn't think our elites would have such a hard ti. Should I have them all fall back and prepare for the next sortie?"
While I was worrying about the greater-than-expected damage, chanical arms in the hangar were moving the Avid to the catapult.
The catapult was a tunnel-like structure, almost like the inside of a cannon barrel, designed to fire out mobile knights like bullets.
The interior glowed with the power of electricity and magic, and arcs of discharge indicated it was ready to fire.
"Lord Liam, launch preparations are complete. Comncing countdown. Ten... nine... eight... seven... ...three... two..."
"Launch!"
Imdiately after, my body was assaulted by intense pressure, pinning to my seat.
As the Avid shot out of the Argos, the battlefield spread out before my eyes.
The launch point was right beside an enemy battleship... As the Avid pointed its right hand, magic circles deployed around it, from which the upper bodies of ard mobile knights erged.
Without panicking at the Avid's sudden appearance, the enemy ship began its interception.
And the enemy mobile knights began to swarm.
"From here on, I will be your opponent. You should be honored."
When I pulled the trigger, the summoned knights simultaneously began attacking the surroundings.
The surrounding enemy ships and mobile knights all exploded at once, brightly illuminating the area.
"I'll use every last one of you as a stepping stone for , Liam Sera Banfield!"
No matter how many elite knights and high-quality weapons they had, they were no match for the ultimate machine, the Avid.
The enemy must have understood that, but they rained down attacks as if to crush it with sheer numbers.
"...You're in the way."
The Avid drew a katana-like blade from a small magic circle that appeared on its left palm, and simultaneously unleashed a controlled slash around it.
All around... three hundred and sixty degrees, the light of explosions erupted simultaneously.
◇
Once the Avid sortied, a portion of the Imperial fleet's numbers began to rapidly decrease.
Although it was a small number compared to the whole, it was an extraordinary result for a single mobile knight.
And for Klaus, even these minor enemy losses were a blessing.
"Has the recovery of the mobile knight squadron been completed? Leaving behind the ship's direct escort units, hurry with maintenance and resupply. They will have to sortie again."
(The damage is less than I anticipated, but it's a problem that the burden is shifting to Lord Liam.)
Klaus imdiately gave another order.
"Don't forget to support the Avid. The Argos can withstand so hits. Focus on supporting Lord Liam for now."
A communications officer turned and asked Klaus.
"The escort ships are requesting permission to support Lord Liam."
"Denied. For now, have them focus on their own defense. Tell them they'll have plenty of work to do soon enough, whether they like it or not."
The Argos could handle such recklessness, but the escort ships could not.
They were holding on because they were super-dreadnoughts, but they weren't nearly as durable as the Argos.
Thanks to Liam's rampage, the enemy's assault felt like it was letting up, but looking at the bigger picture, the damage they were inflicting on the enemy was still small.
Klaus pondered his next move.
"I'd like to strike the commander coordinating the surrounding fleets, but..."
(Even when I had the area scouted, any likely command ships had already left the vicinity. They're wary of having their commander taken out.)
He wanted to sow chaos among the enemy, but it wasn't going so well.
Just then, a female knight approached.
"...Klaus, is it not yet ti for us to sortie?"
When Klaus turned around, he saw Chency Sera Tourei standing there.
"You just returned, didn't you? You should rest a while longer."
Chency let out a small sigh.
"Don't make hold back in such a fun war. Once we're resupplied and serviced, I want to sortie right away. I request a more grueling battlefield next ti. This enemy is strong, so it's more fun than usual. I want to play so more."
Chency was the type of knight who enjoyed the battlefield, which gave Klaus a headache.
In the first place, every battlefield was grueling; there was no such thing as an easy one.
However, one idea ca to mind.
"In that case, can I ask you to destroy the enemy ship coordinating the surrounding fleets? It has concealed its position, so its location is unknown. You'll be targeted by the enemy while searching for it, so expect considerable danger."
Anyone else hearing this might think he was trying to get rid of the troubleso Chency.
However, Klaus saw a slim chance of success.
"If you don't want to, feel free to refuse. In that case, I'll just have you support Lord Liam."
(If it's Chency... with her superior battlefield intuition, she might just be able to break this stalemate.)
When Klaus presented her with the choice, Chency's expression beca ecstatic.
"How wonderful. You're not just trying to get rid of ; you actually think there's a chance of victory... That's why I like you, Klaus."
The bridge crew was startled by Chency's use of the word 'like'.
Klaus said.
"...Could you please correct that statent? It's going to cause misunderstandings among the crew."
(I'm a married man, so I'd really appreciate it if you didn't create any strange misunderstandings...)
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