Chapter 21 Magic Revealed
Major Raffael, commander of the 3rd Battalion of the First Mecha Group under the 32nd Armored Division of the Gazalin Empire Army, was extremely furious. His battalion, while carrying out a pursuit order, had plunged headlong into an enemy ambush. They were subjected to a disgraceful sneak attack, one company of mechas was destroyed, and the other two companies were barely rescued by the support from the 2nd Battalion behind them.
After breaking through the blockade of the Federation Special Mecha Forces, just as Major Raffael was commanding his troops in pursuit, he received an order from above, demanding he abandon the pursuit. The pursuit mission would be completed by the 2nd Battalion, while his battalion had to immediately head to a prisoner of war camp in the west, search for and annihilate all the enemies near the camp, making sure no one escaped, and to destroy the entire camp upon mission completion.
This order, sent directly from the division headquarters bypassing the regiment commander, had no room for negotiation. Despite his fury at not being able to personally pursue the disgraceful attackers, Raffael dared not disobey the order. The punishment by the Empire for disobedience could make one regret ever being born. Hence, he chose to comply.
Raffael decided to vent his simmering anger on the new enemy. Under his urging, his troops reached the designated location in less than twenty minutes from the time the division headquarters issued the order.
The prisoner of war camp was in chaos, with gunfire and explosions resounding from every corner. Some battered Imperial Guard Mechas were being pinned down inside a barrack at the center of the base, still desperately unleashing their firepower. The camp was swarming with rioting prisoners, their figures barely visible as they darted behind various cover. Other guard mechas were using the walls for support, struggling to suppress the rioting prisoners with all available firepower.
"These pesky Federation bugs, full assault!" Major Raffael issued the order without hesitation. Once his two companies of mechas stormed the camp, no one would be able to resist, and the rioting prisoners would be turned into pulp.
Perhaps the sight of the advancing Imperial Mechas shattered the rioting prisoners' hopes of escape. With desperate fury, their firepower suddenly surged. Following this reckless barrage, a massive explosion ignited the ammunition depot, leading to a succession of catastrophic secondary explosions. The resulting shockwaves not only leveled the entire camp but also toppled the advancing Raffael in his mecha. In the explosion zone, including the mechas that had just rushed in, no living being remained standing. The raging inferno and the ever-looming threat of further explosions kept all the Imperial soldiers at bay, staring dumbfounded into this hellish scene of mechanical wreckage and mangled bodies.
Raffael leapt from his downed mecha, his face bathed in the flickering light of the flames that surged towards the sky. Shielding his eyes with his arm against another sudden explosion, the intense brightness from the blaze pierced through the surrounding forest, stinging his eyes sharply.
After a long while, regaining his composure, Raffael issued another order: "Conduct a meticulous search in the surrounding area within a twenty-kilometer radius, five times back and forth, ensuring no prisoner escapes from here."