Chapter 24: ch-24 That’s our ally, dammit!”
Saint Maximus remained at the farthest edge of the retreating formation—the last wall between the Hive and the human fleet.
His ace swordsman mecha, now battle-scarred and glowing dimly, stood guard as thousands of allied mechas fell back. Despite having long broken his physical limits, despite his willpower hanging by a thread, Maximus held the line.
His once-mighty kilometer-wide domain had shrunk to a trembling 400 meters, flickering and unstable. Yet, it still served as a secondary barrier, augmenting the mecha’s shielding system and keeping the enemy at bay. The energy link fed from the fleet’s auxiliary reactors allowed him to barely remain operational.
Saint Maximus, panting within the cockpit, clenched his teeth and forced his body to keep moving.
His sword danced through the void, each swing unleashing a crescent slash of energy that tore through insectoid warships. Some slashes cleaved entire mother ships in half, others neutralized incoming projectiles with surgical precision. Yet he knew... he couldn’t hold forever.
Then came Saint Emma—her artillery mecha remained in the rear, raining devastation with synchronized precision. Her main and auxiliary cannons obliterated any Hive units attempting to swarm Maximus.
"Thanks for the cover fire," Maximus said over comms, his voice ragged.
Emma’s cheerful voice replied, "No worries, that’s my order, remember?"
He chuckled weakly. "Yeah... it is."
Seconds later, the last wave of forward mechs had successfully docked back into the battle carriers—Saint Maximus being the final one to pull back. But before he moved, he chose to unleash one last strike.
His swordsman mech rose upright in space. The towering weapon in its hands—a 30-meter energy-forged blade—glowed with an unstable brilliance.