Even so, a faint smile tugged at his lips.

"Well... what a nice little playfield you’ve prepared for me. This is becoming more and more interesting..."

Bursting through the incoming energy fire, Crimson Star directly collided with the leading knight mech in a blazing energy slash!!

The sheer force of the impact pushed all five knight mechs several meters backward!!

At the same time, while engaging them head-on, he controlled the back-mounted energy cannons through the support of Crimson Star’s AI system and instantly fired toward the speed-type mechs that had suddenly appeared within his line of sight and were rushing toward him!!

The anti-armor rounds effortlessly pierced through the shields and armor of the speed-type mechs before erupting into flames—

Instantly destroying the cockpits and taking down three mechs just like that.

All of this happened in barely half a second!!

The others only realized it too late, and when they saw the mechs of their three comrades bursting into flames, they froze in disbelief.

Then one of the braver pilots broke free from his shock and shouted—

"Damn human!!"

With that, he pushed his spear mech forward and charged toward Crimson Star in fury!!

"Wait!! Don’t charge blindly—" the squad captain shouted the moment he saw the spear mech rushing ahead.

But it was already too late...

The crimson mech moved slightly, tilting its body just enough to avoid the spear thrust. Then, moving its left arm, it instantly grabbed hold of the spear shaft, preventing the Hegemony mech from pulling itself back!!

And before the enemy pilot could even react, Crimson Star followed up with its dark red energy sword—

Crack!! Shatter!!

The seemingly sturdy shield failed to stop the attack and instantly shattered apart!!

The blazing sword melted straight through the hardened Tier-One alloy armor, pierced through the cockpit, and emerged from the mech’s back—

Killing the pilot instantly.

"Shit!!" the captain cursed after seeing exactly what he had feared happen, losing yet another skilled fighter because of blind rage.

Quickly activating the comms, he no longer bothered suppressing his anger. Like a broken dam, it exploded outward as he roared—

"If any of you dare charge blindly at the enemy again because of rage, I will personally kill you myself, damnit!!"

"Idiots!! Follow the plan we discussed!! Otherwise, it won’t just be you who dies—another three hundred will follow as well!! Remember that!!"

"...Now move!!"

"Yes, Captain..." the others muttered with lowered voices.

Swallowing their anger, they once again began moving according to formation and battle plan.

The knight mechs stabilized themselves, raising their shields and coating them with mana as they prepared to withstand the overwhelming pressure of the human fleet’s crimson mech!!

Once more, they bravely charged ahead while the spear mechs followed not far behind them.

Meanwhile, the speed-type mechs remained hidden within the battlefield shadows, prepared to act at any given moment, while the swordsmen mechs repositioned themselves to support the frontline if things turned unfavorable.

At the rear, the marksman mechs unleashed another coordinated salvo toward Crimson Star in rapid succession!!

At the same time, seeing hundreds of enemy mechs now advancing in an even denser formation while countless attacks once again rushed toward him...

Sitting within the mech, the crimson-haired boy frowned slightly.

But reacting quickly, he pushed several buttons beside his seat.

Immediately, parts of Crimson Star’s shoulder pads detached from their positions. Shaped like small floating shields, they began levitating around the mech!!

Soon after, another four similar parts emerged from hidden ports on the mech’s back and joined the others, circling around Crimson Star in synchronized motion.

Then, as if perfectly linked together, the six smaller shields projected a layered blue barrier around the crimson mech!!

Just in time.

ailgun rounds, pulse fire, and plasma shots rushed toward him and slammed directly into the shield formed by the six floating shield units!!

The shields trembled under the relentless bombardment, their energy barriers shuddering constantly from the intense firepower crashing against them...

But they held firmly.

Other than the shield layer dimming slightly, they remained completely intact.

Meanwhile, the crimson-haired boy calmly returned his energy sword to its holder before pulling out a cold-looking blade engraved with dense crimson runes.

The sword’s edge glowed entirely red, while the body of the blade itself remained pitch dark...

A notification popped up in front of the crimson-haired boy.

[Blood Slayer Sword has been equipped.]

As if the sword were not held by the mech Crimson Star but by himself directly, the red-haired boy rubbed his finger along the ancient legendary blade and felt the boundless destructive energy and bloodthirst radiating from it...

Much like his own.

He couldn’t help but smile.

Then quickly refocusing, he rushed directly toward the heavy mechs charging at him while simultaneously opening hidden launch ports across Crimson Star.

Hundreds of small cluster-type antimatter missiles were instantly launched alongside continuous high-intensity fire from the two back-mounted cannons!!

Seeing the rapidly approaching missiles and the overwhelming barrage of energy fire heading toward them, someone shouted in terror—

" Enemy fire incoming!! Execute evasive manoeuvres!! Prepare yourselves!!"

The main task force of the 3rd Wing’s 10th Division reacted quickly, executing rapid maneuvers while weaving through the wreckage of destroyed ships and even the remains of their own fallen comrades’ mechs in an attempt to avoid the incoming attacks at all costs...

But the missiles seemed to possess eyes and minds of their own.

No matter where the pilots tried to hide, the missiles relentlessly tracked them down!!

And because they were cluster-class weapons, each missile contained dozens of smaller sub-munitions inside, each carrying nearly the same destructive capability as the main shell itself...

So even if one failed to destroy its target, another immediately followed behind it—piercing through ship wreckage and debris fields alike until they struck their targets and obliterated them into nothingness!!

Many pilots screamed in terror as the dense missile storm hunted them down from whatever hiding places they tried to escape into...

Meanwhile, the high-intensity shots fired from the twin back-mounted cannons continued relentlessly across the battlefield!!

Meanwhile, the high-intensity shots fired from the two back-mounted cannons rushed toward the rear lines of the 3rd Wing’s 10th Elite Squad, targeting the marksman mechs—which throughout the galaxy were known for possessing lighter shields and armor compared to frontline units...

Unprotected and unable to take cover quickly enough, many of them were struck directly by the supercharged plasma and pulse shots and exploded instantly!!

At the same time, Crimson Star directly clashed against the five knight mechs, all of whom had raised their massive shields in preparation for the crimson mech’s assault.

But to their surprise, their heavy shields—crafted from special alloys capable of enduring extreme forms of attack, whether kinetic strikes, energy blasts, heat, or energy weapons—suddenly felt far less indestructible than before...

There was even a saying among mech pilots: "The mech may be destroyed, but the shield never will."

Yet the moment that gloomy and terrifying sword flashed forward—

A blade so chilling it made their blood run cold— It slashed directly against the shield surfaces and instantly carved deep scratches across them while simultaneously forcing the defending knight mechs several steps backward!!

The impacts destabilized their stances and created openings within their formation!!

The crimson-haired boy’s eyes gleamed the instant he saw the opportunity.

He thrust forward toward the exposed gap— But unfortunately for him, the knight mechs reacted in perfect synchronisation.

The moment one mech was knocked off balance, another immediately charged forward to take its place while two more shifted in to reinforce the line!!

And every time one mech was pushed back, another instantly rotated into position to maintain the defensive wall.

The seamless coordination and synergy between them genuinely surprised the crimson-haired boy...

"Talented!! But unfortunately, you all stand on the wrong side and belong to a different race!!" the crimson-haired boy spoke aloud.

While speaking, he quickly backed away using his thrusters, and the very instant he moved, a spear thrust shot past from behind one of the knight mechs alongside a sword slash that cut through the exact position where he had been standing moments earlier...

"Well now... much faster recovery than I expected from all of you, huh?"

"Hmmm... not too shabby for ’elites’ specially trained by your backers..."

A few moments earlier, before Crimson Star had collided with the knight mechs...

Seeing the countless deaths around them, the faces of the surviving elite mech forces of the 3rd Wing’s 10th Division had nearly lost all color.

They had no idea how they were supposed to fight—let alone take down—an enemy like this!!

Not only was the enemy overwhelmingly powerful, but it was also equipped with various superior weapon systems they seemingly had no means to withstand at all...

Their defenses crumbled almost instantly every time they were struck, never giving them any chance to recover!!

If even one attack connected properly, death followed immediately...

Even the captain of the elite force himself felt bitterness and hopelessness rising inside him. For a brief moment, he even thought about giving up.