Chapter 240

Chapter 240

En destroyed one Shadow Legion unit but was rendered combat incapable. I was foolish to have even a little bit of hope. Of course, he had been a great help. But considering how much he had run his mouth at me before, this much was the least he should have done.  

Regardless, with En taken out, the balance of power had tipped noticeably.  

Even if I somehow managed to deal with the one-eyed Legion, the Equessian mercenaries didn’t have the strength to hold off the remaining unit. The moment we lost En, they were reduced to nothing more than easy prey.  

It wasn’t that the Equessian mercenaries were incompetent. On the contrary, they were responding bravely and skillfully despite being at a disadvantage.  

‘But they have no idea how to fight a Legion. Their understanding of full-body prosthetics is lacking.’  

Let alone that, a Legion was a top-tier model even among full-body prosthetics.  

Kiing!  

The one-eyed Legion repeatedly aimed for my legs, swinging its spear.  

Kirik!  

Its thigh armor split open, and a pistol shot up.  

The Legion swiftly caught the floating pistol, aimed it at my leg, and pulled the trigger.  

‘Trust in Lapis’s skills.’  

I pulled my leg up and calculated the trajectory. The Legion’s pistol was of large caliber. Facing it head-on would mean losing a limb.  

But if I adjusted the angle just right, the bullet would glance off. The surface of my prosthetic was designed with curved plating to deflect projectiles.  

The bullet struck my shin.  

Kiiiiiiit!  

With a horrible screech, my body twisted violently as it was flung back. But the bullet only grazed the outer shell of my shin.  

‘This is doable.’  

In fact, the ‘Shadow Legion’ was easier to read than the ‘Shadow Combat Prosthetics.’  

‘They don’t have the erratic specifications of the Shadow Combat Prosthetics. No arms rotating 360 degrees or anything like that. The more extraneous features a machine has, the weaker its durability.’  

No matter how high-performance a Legion was, the larger its size, the more often it had to rely on its innate durability to withstand attacks.  

That didn’t change the fact that the situation was still difficult and unfavorable.  

‘They are mechanically precise. No matter how excellent a soldier is, emotions creep in and create inconsistencies in their actions. But these things don’t have a single ounce of that noise.’  

The Shadows were nothing less than pure combat machines—so much so that I couldn’t even begin to compare myself to them.  

‘No matter how I analyze this, I’m at a disadvantage.’  

To overturn this, I had to take a risk. I couldn’t afford to delay my decision any longer. If the Equessians were wiped out, my last option would vanish, too.  

‘Charge in like a moth to the flame.’  

I stepped back, steadying my breath. My prosthetic limbs came into sharp focus in my mind.

‘If you don’t want to die, pour out every last drop of your focus. Don’t hold anything back thinking about what comes after.’  

In the face of mortal danger, I could wring out every bit of my abilities without considering the side effects or malfunction risks.  

Giiiiiiiing.  

Good. That familiar state of accelerated perception surged up to my crown like a drug.  

My thoughts accelerated, and the world slowed down.  

The stretched-out sounds sharpened to the point that I could even distinguish the background noise. My enhanced vision could count every scratch on a metal plate, and my heightened sense of smell could detect the properties of a weapon hidden by the enemy.  

Expansion and acceleration of cognition.  

My head throbbed. It felt like my brain was shrinking and compressing.  

‘Just hold on a little longer.’  

I didn’t have many chances left to push past my limits. The more I repeated it, the higher the probability of permanent failure. I was gambling on an inevitable collapse.  

KWA-AAAAANG!  

An explosion erupted.  

My eyes weren’t on the one-eyed Legion anymore but on the outer wall.  

I wasn’t the only one. Everyone was looking at the wall.  

In my accelerated perception, I watched the outer wall crumble apart from the blast—slowly.  

‘Another explosion?! Fuck!’  

The outer wall was blowing apart. But it wasn’t a massive explosion, just enough to break through the wall itself.  

KWADEUDEUDEUG!  

Through the crumbling wall, something burst out—a pair of massive, rugged arms and hands, like heavy construction equipment.  

I recognized its identity the moment I saw its arms and a glimpse of its main body.  

‘A Sonsu Industries prototype MAU?’  

A Sonsu Industries prototype was clinging to the building. The MAU was too massive to enter the interior.  

Kiing, clack.  

The upper part of its forearm split open, revealing a built-in autocannon. It was the kind of armament possible only for a Mechanic Armor Unit, which was practically a walking tank.  

Kirik!  

The autocannon aimed at the one-eyed Legion. A barrage of heavy rounds followed.  

Tududududu!  

The thunderous gunfire was almost obnoxiously loud as it drove the one-eyed Legion back.  

Of course, the Shadow Legion wasn’t about to go down just from this. Each time a bullet struck, its armor glowed with a faint bluish light. Even the energy-coated plating only dented slightly.  

‘But the suppressive power is enough.’  

A voice came through from the prototype MAU.  

- Over here, Lukaus Custoria.  

There was some interference, but I recognized the voice instantly. It was Yanaka. She was the Federation’s official MAU pilot.  

Yanaka was still a minor, yet she was deployed in real combat. Not that it was anything special. I had killed countless people and carried out real missions at her age, too.  

‘I don’t have any other options anyway. There’s no time to hesitate.’

Once the autocannon ran out of bullets, the one-eyed Legion would close the distance immediately.  

I sprinted toward Yanaka’s prototype.  

Giiiiiing!  

Even the Legion that had been fighting the Equessian mercenaries suddenly twisted its upper body toward me and charged. It completely ignored the Equessians’ attacks.  

Ta-ang!  

The Legion even fired a shot that could have been fatal. It must have decided that taking some risk was better than losing sight of me.  

‘That was close.’  

I leaped with all my strength, gliding over the debris.  

Thud!  

The ground beneath my feet shattered. I had used too much power—at this rate, I would overshoot the prototype and plummet straight down the side of the building.  

No matter how advanced my prosthetics were, I didn’t have a gliding function, let alone a jetpack. If I fell midair, I was dead.  

Kaang!  

But then, the prototype let go of the wall and jumped with me.  

Srrrk!  

It reached out with both hands, enclosing me within its grasp.  

I grabbed onto its fingers, trying to stabilize myself. My body jolted roughly.  

Kuuuuung!  

The prototype and I crashed down to the base of the building. Above us, I spotted the transport helicopter that had carried the MAU.  

- We’re retreating for now. Authorization should come through soon.  

Yanaka’s voice came from the prototype.  

“Authorization?”  

- Talk to the Deputy Minister about the details. I’ll patch you through via the secure line.  

The prototype moved further away from Jafa Industries’ headquarters. But I could already see the Legions breaking free from the Equessian mercenaries and giving chase. It had taken them a bit of time to shake off their pursuers, but they were catching up fast.  

‘Even if we’ve gained some distance, Legions have superior combined mobility. It’s only a matter of time before they catch up.’  

But the MAU prototype was a walking heavy tank. It traded mobility for firepower.  

Kiing, giiing.  

The back of the prototype opened, revealing a turret. Unlike the autocannon, this was a precision, single-shot weapon.  

The turret moved independently, freely adjusting its aim to snipe the pursuing Legions.  

Turrrr—BANG!  

One of the Legions swung its arm, deflecting the turret’s shot. The stray shell exploded in the wrong place, causing civilian casualties.  

- Lukaus Custoria, this is Ismael La.  

A section of the prototype’s palm opened, revealing a communications device. From it, I heard the voice of Deputy Minister Ismael La.

“No time for pleasantries. Get straight to the situation.”  

- The Empire has notified us that they are conducting an external military operation in Border City to capture a deserter. The moment they issued the notice, the operation was already in motion. In other words, they moved before even making the official announcement. They’re making it clear that minor diplomatic friction won’t stop them. Normally, this would be unthinkable, but the unique status of Border City under the Tripartite Agreement allows for exceptions.  

The deserter the Empire was referring to was me. The moment they got wind of my presence, they acted without hesitation.  

‘To be exact, Ivan Accretia was the one who moved.’  

Ismael fell silent for a moment. Through the communicator, I could hear the sounds of people moving frantically in the background.  

He was likely handling the situation on multiple fronts, sending official notices to different departments and exchanging real-time reports.  

- Since I belong to the Strategic Weapons Research Department, I don’t have any forces under my direct authority. I’ve requested military support, but it will take time. It won’t arrive in time. Well, that’s the drawback of a bureaucratic society where responsibility is ambiguous, and the weak point of democracy.  

Ismael spoke calmly.  

“The only forces you can deploy immediately are the Research Department’s pilots, and I assume you requested the prototype from Sonsu Industries.”  

- You are as sharp as expected. That makes this discussion easier. CEO Son readily approved the deployment of the prototype. This is a good opportunity to prove its combat effectiveness. He enjoys taking risks—he’s not afraid to walk across a shaking bridge.  

“Don’t even think about facing off against the Empire’s Legions with just Yanaka and the prototype. It’s not about the machine’s specs… The difference in combat experience and judgment is enormous. Those things are monsters. After just a short exchange, they’ll figure out its weaknesses and tear it apart. Our best option is to run.”  

- Thank you for the advice, but I must disagree. Regardless, I’ll continue. The Empire is pursuing you the moment they learned of your presence… and we’ve obtained testimonies from other defectors regarding you. Given the circumstances, I believe you are of great importance. The Federation will accept your asylum request, even if it means enduring diplomatic friction.  

“They need to make that decision quickly. The Legions are catching up.”  

I was starting to feel impatient.  

- Under normal circumstances, it would take a few more days. But I submitted it as an urgent matter. If it’s just a temporary protective measure rather than full asylum, it will be approved within 15 minutes.

Fifteen minutes? In a situation where every second counted, fifteen minutes?! This had to be a joke.  

"Not fifteen minutes—five is already too long!"  

In the end, I lost my patience and snapped.  

- I'm doing my best. I didn’t expect the Empire to act this decisively either.  

In the Empire, a single word from the Emperor could set everything in motion. The Federation, in contrast, had secured political stability… at the cost of swift decision-making.  

Giiiiiiiing!  

The prototype was racing down a major road, the wheels on its feet spinning furiously.  

‘The Legions are taking shortcuts.’  

The prototype could only travel on main roads, meaning its route was predictable. Meanwhile, the Legions could cut through complex terrain with ease.  

Compared to a human, Legions were towering, hulking machines, but they were infinitely more agile than the prototype MAU.  

- Then, I’ll be back soon with good news.  

Ismael hung up, clearly swamped. He must have been just as frustrated with the situation as I was.  

Chhzzk.  

The connection switched, and this time, Yanaka spoke up.  

- A combat MAU outperforms a Legion in firepower and capability. Don’t underestimate me. Once we reach open ground, I’ll intercept them.  

She was clearly offended by my earlier remark about the prototype being no match for a Legion.  

I turned toward the cockpit.  

"Don’t talk like an idiot. Have you ever killed someone? Actual combat? How much experience do you have?"  

There was nothing more dangerous than a kid full of reckless bravado. The old saying came to mind—a pup doesn’t fear a tiger.  

- You and the Equessians held back the Legions, didn’t you? And I’m piloting the Federation’s ultimate weapon.  

"Ultimate weapon? Don’t make me laugh. It’s just an unstable prototype. And don’t you dare compare yourself to me or the Equessian mercenaries. The number of battlefields we’ve crossed and the lives we’ve taken are worlds apart from yours."  

Yanaka was talking like a fool.  

I wanted to rip open the cockpit hatch and slap her across the face.  

"Extend our escape route. Avoid engagement."  

- You’re not my superior. The higher-ups entrusted me with the judgment call on your extraction.  

Yanaka maneuvered the prototype toward an open, undeveloped area. It was land cleared in preparation for future development.  

"You fucking idiot…"

I couldn't contain my rising fury.  

- We’ll see who the real idiot is. Or better yet, I’ll buy you time—so just run. That’d be the smarter choice.  

She was talking absolute nonsense.  

"One Legion is enough to stop you in your tracks. Either way, I’ll have to fight them myself."  

A dark-colored Legion emerged from between the buildings and stepped into the open lot.  

- Hah! Let’s do this. The ultimate weapons of the Empire and the Federation, going head-to-head.  

Yanaka’s voice brimmed with excitement and competitive spirit. That kind of attitude was admirable in some ways, but… this brat had no sense of assessing her opponent’s capabilities.  

"If you survive this, I swear I’m knocking all your teeth out."  

I’d make sure she needed dentures at her age. And I wasn’t joking—I meant every word.

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