Chapter 301 ·Turning Point (64)

Turning 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󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄂Point (64)

2 days and 13 hours remained before the next satellite gravity cannon deployment would be possible. At that moment, Albatross's storage bay was busier than ever.

Security robots brought in from the external operations team's robot production facility were being converted into Beta Series units in real time, and at dawn, the Minotaur, which had only been an object of curiosity, was now being dismantled by Nadia.

Repair drones continued zipping back and forth to the piles of materials stacked on one side, repairing both the inner and outer hull of the ship. The droning sound unique to the drones was drowned out by the metallic clanking as the finished Beta Series lined up. The heavy metallic sounds grew even weightier as the Beta Series were armed.

Only a few hours ago, the sector had been without power, its lights off due to insufficient energy. Now, as if that had never happened, the entire sector was running vigorously. The special materials processing room was handling its backlog of tasks without issue.

Thanks to this, nerves had eased, and people's anxious expressions mellowed. With nothing getting stuck or halting, the sense of pressure had lightened. This was all because the engine installation had been successful.

They had cleared away the half-melted engine and put in a newly acquired one, enabling the generator to supply the energy needed for each sector.

"Kyle, how's the engine doing?"

"Well, it's more or less fine."

Kyle replied with a shrug. His casual words were almost dismissive, which might have sounded evasive, but I wasn't worried.

Kyle wore a look of subtle pride, like someone who had resolved a major issue. That could only mean the state of the engine was good.

"The method Licorice suggested is more efficient than the doubling structure. The resonance problem has also been mitigated, making it more stable."

"I heard we used up all the engines we got from the forward base. Is that right?"

"Yes. That's why it's impressive. Normally, the more engines you have to manage, the lower the efficiency. And it's not always inherently good to have a lot of engines. That's why we have the concept of optimization. Even a single engine incorporates complex tech. But the technology applied to Albatross this time is both classic and new—"

As Kyle showed signs of his notorious tendency to ramble, I hurriedly cut in.

"Ah, Kyle! I think things here will run smoothly without us meddling anymore, so shouldn't we get to planning now? You know, about what we'll do next."

"There's going to be an operations meeting soon anyway. Now that we're prepared, it's time to put that to use."

"Right. So when do we meet?"

"That hasn't been decided yet, but I doubt it'll take longer than an hour."

"One hour...."

I glanced toward the disassembly show Nadia and Carry were running. In reality, the dismantling was all but finished; only the compatibility check with the power loader remained.

"Then, I'll see you when the time comes. If we start sooner, message me. I'll be here until then."

"Understood."

Leaving Kyle behind, I joined Nadia. As I approached, she welcomed me with a bright face, her tail wagging ecstatically.

When I asked if things were going well, she told me, practically bubbling over, about their progress. Then she glanced up at me and, suddenly, her face flushed slightly.

She looked equal parts excited and embarrassed, as if she suddenly recalled last night before bed.

Catching her gaze, I met Nadia's eyes. Her tail literally went poof. When I snickered, accusing her of having naughty thoughts, she fiercely denied it, but with her tail fur sticking out in tufts, her protest couldn't have been less convincing.

Still, I let it go without teasing her any more. Right now, equipping the power loader's weapons was more important than jokes. We could save the pranks for our return to Earth.

Together with Carry, I helped Nadia with the remaining tasks. Our teamwork had already proven itself, so there wasn't a hitch. We gained speed and swiftly moved on to the next phase.

After three and a half hours, Nadia's custom power loader, now with Blue-Eye's exoskeleton and Minotaur's weapons, looked even more intimidating, especially after we installed the auxiliary thrusters, which greatly increased its bulk.

Aside from the frame, it was almost all custom parts—the original model was practically unrecognizable. We weren't quite done; we still had to adjust the parts to work together.

This required optimizing through the control system—a process that couldn't be completed quickly, so we'd have to continue it when time allowed.

Just as I was catching my breath, a message arrived from Licorice.

– The operations meeting will start soon. Come to the bridge.

At this long-awaited message, Nadia and I dropped everything and headed straight to the bridge, not even pausing to clean up around the power loader. Carry looked between us and the scattered tools on the floor before quickly tagging along.

***

"Kyle said the meeting would start in about an hour, but it's been over three hours. Licorice, did something come up?"

I quietly asked Licorice, who was processing some data even now. She was always busy, but there was nobody else—nobody who would know the situation as thoroughly as her.

I couldn't ask Kyle, who was pacing around the ops table, clutching his head, nor Eric, who was gravely discussing something in hushed tones with Celestia and Canna.

Nadia just stuck with me, meaning she knew as much as I did. The only even slightly at-ease person was Roxy, who was leaning against the wall moving to some rhythm. Somehow, I doubted he'd give a useful explanation. That was a separate issue from trusting Roxy.

"... Who—ah, Lee Hyun-woo. It's you."

Licorice's reply was a beat slow as if she'd been connected to some database. She didn't look especially tired, but her eyes seemed dry.

She blinked, then finally spoke—she would've, if Eric hadn't brought everyone to attention at the ops table after finishing his conversation.

"Looks like everyone's here, so let's begin the ops meeting."

He called everyone scattered about to gather around.

"You'll hear the reason soon enough. Go listen."

"What about you, Licorice?"

"I already know. I'm just here to clarify if further explanation is needed."

Licorice gave me a light push, no strength behind it, and I let myself be herded into the group at the table. Nadia too.

"As you all know, every minute counts, so I'll get straight to the point."

When Eric operated the table, a three-dimensional hologram of Albatross's overall structure appeared. The conditions of each sector were shown by color—about seventy percent green, the rest yellow, and no red danger zones.

"First, the restoration status of Albatross. Thanks to everyone's efforts, structural stability has been recovered. Some sectors are still at risk, but we expect that damage will be repaired and they'll be confirmed safe by the end of the day."

Thanking everyone, Eric zoomed in on a sector—one where the consumables for various weapons were stored: the armory.

"What hasn't been resolved is expendable armaments like missiles. If we run the processing room at full capacity, we can fill some of the empty stock. Kyle, how's the external weapon status?"

"The gun emplacements are about done. The newly installed engine gives much higher output than before, so the laser weapons' power has improved, and I made and attached additional rail cannons. While they can't devastate as large an area as the main weapon, their penetration is superior. This is the best we can do right now."

Kyle added that even with so many schematics in the database, without the production tech or materials, rail cannons were the limit. Still, with the ship stabilized, external weapons production would now accelerate.

They went over more about Albatross's equipment—in essence, reporting on what had been done and what remained in terms of tasks and their scope.

Once the situation was much clearer, Eric, who had been quietly reacting, asked with a heavy expression:

"Okay. Kyle, what about that thing? Is that ready?"

"That... Yes, it's finished. But it'll need constant attention. It should work, but if there's any malfunction, it'll have to be remade from scratch."

What could he be talking about? That question didn't last long. Kyle operated the ops table and a new hologram appeared—revealing the answer.

Displayed on the table was a piece of equipment rarely seen nowadays: a long rocket, not just one but several connected together.

Knowing that if I just stayed quiet, he'd explain, I simply took in the equipment with my eyes.

Kyle began, "Our ultimate goal is to escape from Titan and use the warp gate built by the Myosotis fleet in orbit to return to Earth. But there's a significant obstacle: a being called the Invasion Tree."

As the rocket equipment shrank back, it was replaced by a gigantic organic entity shaped like a tree—this Invasion Tree was now shown as a hologram.

The Invasion Tree had emerged on the Titan surface, smashing through, a remnant from an ancient age. Its momentum core, located in the upper-middle, could fire a black beam similar to a gravity cannon, devastating everything nearby.

It was the monster that first broke our fighting spirit. Even as a mere holographic image, its shape flooded my mind with memories of that day and I couldn't help clenching my fist.

"Its awareness range is all of Titan. In fact, it's probably immeasurable. It doesn't seem restricted to Titan alone. One thing is for sure: it's aware of us right now. The only reason it's not attacking is that it's remaining silent. If we get closer, it'll react immediately."

"That's not just speculation. We were actually attacked. A high-speed recon drone was sent, but it was shot down the moment it entered camera range."

Licorice snapped her fingers and the table hologram shifted. A drone (marked) flew toward the Invasion Tree. In mid-air, it was obliterated by a black line cutting through space, leaving not a trace.

It didn't stop there. Even when multiple markers tried to enter simultaneously, the Invasion Tree's suppression attacks blew them all away.

Licorice explained she'd been sending drones repeatedly while Albatross was forced to remain immobile, to monitor the Invasion Tree's movements.

"Every one we sent got destroyed. Its attacks couldn't be dodged at common speeds. There's not much data, but we did learn that, like us, it needs time to respond."

「The Invasion Tree is believed to be in recovery. The satellite gravity cannon's aftermath washed over the area. The momentum core's attack couldn't fully counter the gravity cannon. In the process, its condition became unstable.」

Orca picked up where Licorice left off, saying the satellite gravity cannon had not been meaningless. When it missed, part of the Tree's rooted zone was hit, causing damage.

We now understood the Invasion Tree was our main hurdle—and that it also needed time to fully recover. So next, we needed to know how to overcome that hurdle.

"You can't dodge the Invasion Tree's attacks at just a decent speed. That's where this comes in."

Kyle operated the table again. Now a holographic Orca appeared, with the rocket equipment from before attached to its rear. Despite Orca being quite large, the rocket was even larger.

Actually, the rocket equipment was attached to Orca, but visually, it looked as if Orca was being carried. It seemed huge, but when a container was added, the proportions made sense—it had clearly been designed with such attachments in mind.

"A single-use special assault booster. Codename: Sabre."

"... Sabre?"

I read the letters marked on the rocket's hologram: S. A. B. R. E. (Singular Assault Booster for Rapid Engagement). Sabre was the equipment's official name.

"This rocket, unlike a normal thruster, uses shockwaves. It pushes through space with explosive force. It's incredibly fast, but just as—phew—dangerous."

"... So you're saying, we'll use this to break through at once?"

"Yes."

Kyle explained Sabre's speed would be sufficient to evade the Invasion Tree's suppression attacks. It seemed it was shockingly fast.

'A gigantic enemy unleashing a barrage, and a blitz breakthrough to penetrate that firestorm.'

I watched the hologram of Orca equipped with Sabre darting around the Invasion Tree, executing evasive maneuvers, and fell silent.

It was not impossible in theory—in fact, it was a good way to minimize losses, supposing it worked. The key was that it was only theoretical.

I doubted this was a tactic used in regular operations. Besides, hadn't the conversation earlier had an air of unease about it? Anyone could tell Sabre was the reason.

"... Eric, Canna. You were soldiers and still are—what are the odds of success here? Has this tactic ever actually been used? It seems... extremely risky."

Canna didn't speak, and Eric was silent a moment before replying.

"... It's not used anymore."

"Not anymore? So it was used before, then."

"It was. Or rather, even now, it's occasionally used—by those who favor extreme measures."

Surprisingly, it was Roxy who answered, not Eric. Looking at the holographic Sabre, he grinned and added:

"Special assault booster. Here, 'assault' and 'booster' are really code for 'suicide' and 'vehicle.' There's a reason it's single-use. There is no next time."

"......"

As Roxy hit right on my worry, the mood in the bridge grew grave. It was, essentially, a manned missile—one not easy to control.

That must be why everyone else looked so down. Unlike Nadia and I, who had arrived last, they must have already heard. Maybe the reason for the meeting's delay had been Sabre.

Still, I decided to hear out the rest. That's what we'd come for.

"Kyle, tell us more about Sabre."

"... What Roxy said isn't the only reason Sabre's single-use. By design, it can't be reused. The control tech isn't complete yet. Some parts are makeshift, which makes it worse...."

He trailed off, projecting a graph—Sabre's speed curve. Already high at launch, the curve shot straight through the ceiling at a certain point.

"As for what I mentioned before, Sabre uses specially processed refined Blue Crystal as a solid fuel. When forced to vaporize, it generates shockwaves that push through space. It's similar to a warp drive but can't open a tunnel, so it's unstable."

"You said control tech isn't complete? And with unstable operation on top of that...."

"Yes. That's its greatest strength and its weakness. Past a certain speed, you lose all control. And 'control' here doesn't mean just steering—it means you can't throttle down the rocket engine at all."

Kyle explained that Sabre couldn't slow down. It couldn't stop—only go forward. Turning was only possible by firing side thrusters, but even that required extremely precise handling.

With such high speed, even slight input could dramatically alter trajectory. Thus, pilot skill outweighed everything.

I glanced at the table, showing simulations of Orca with Sabre running different courses. To illustrate, some paths spiraled out, crashing into the ground or spinning wildly before being struck and exploding.

Only forward was possible—speed increasing constantly, never able to stop. Turning over Kyle's words, I found myself unable to speak lightly.

Nadia glanced around, then asked quietly:

"What about Albatross?"

"Albatross will remain where it can't be hit by the Invasion Tree. I doubt it can help us. It's too big and not nearly fast enough to evade attacks."

Eric didn't mean that only the bare minimum crew would remain to pilot Albatross. Everyone else capable of battle would ride in the containers attached to Orca—charging directly at the Invasion Tree.

"Beta Series and Minotaur units are machines—they just need to be securely fixed. But what about the humans? How will they withstand it? Titan's collapse is causing some gravitational fluctuations, but those can't reduce the G-load. If anything, it could get worse."

It was true. High speed in a gravity field meant that all acceleration would directly affect the riders.

Even if I could manage, I doubted the others could. In fact, it was probably impossible at the speeds the Sabre was built to reach—crossing thousands of kilometers in minutes.

We'd break through to the Tree's weak spot, destroy the momentum core, and bring down the shield around Titan. Textbook-perfect, in theory. The problem was, humans had to do it.

The human body is fragile. Withstanding the shock from such a sprint, and the aftermath after separating the Sabre, would be too much. Without being able to slow down, you'd crash rather than land.

"I can solve that. I know vehicle design and pilot suits can't cut the G-load enough."

Licorice set a red crystal on the table—a slightly levitating one. I recognized it instantly as being manifested by her mystery.

"As long as this holds, no inhuman G-load will be applied. It'll be just barely manageable. But I'm warning you: I can't remove the load completely. If I did, the crystal would be consumed before we even broke through, and then all the G-force would hit at once. No human could withstand that, even for a split-second."

Licorice said she'd already tested it, assuring us the crystal worked—she'd been working out various potential solutions all along, it turned out.

But even with the G-load problem solved, one issue remained. I spoke up:

"So, we'll all be riding on Orca? The Sabre is huge, but can it handle everyone? There's all the combat gear, and Power Loaders and Minotaurs aren't small."

Even if the Power Loader was smaller than Orca, it wasn't exactly cargo it could comfortably haul—it was now even bigger with Minotaur weapons. Plus, there'd be Beta Series and our operational personnel.

'Do we have another shuttle? No, even if we did, it's pointless.'

Roxy couldn't directly pilot a shuttle anymore—there wasn't time. When Roxy returned to Albatross with Orca, he tried to hand over Orca's controls to Nadia, saying she specialized in heavy mecha while he specialized in shuttles.

But that didn't happen, since Orca's controls had become tied to Roxy. Had it worked, Roxy and Orca could have acted separately. But it hadn't.

Licorice hesitated at my question, then looked at Nadia.

"That's why we'll go in two units."

"... Two units?"

Nadia asked anxiously.

"Orca and the Power Loader. You'll be riding with a Sabre, too."

"...?!"

Her worried green eyes went wide with shock. It wasn't just because Licorice used her name, not "Woof-woof", but because she understood instantly.

For Nadia, her name being used meant things were serious—no way to dismiss it as a joke. She stuttered, voice trembling.

"N-no, but with my skills—"

"Don't worry. I'll be riding too. Lee Hyun-woo, me, you, that robot, Beta Series, Minotaurs, and...."

"... Me too."

Celestia quietly raised her hand. Nadia shot her a look, then cried out even more anxiously.

"That just makes it worse!"

"What can we do? Only by attacking from two separate directions do we have any hope of succeeding. It's risky, but this is our only option. Unless we destroy the Invasion Tree's momentum core, there's no way off Titan."

"......."

Nadia opened and closed her mouth helplessly—she wanted to say so much, but couldn't find the words. I felt much the same. I'd thought I didn't want Roxy to bear the entire burden alone, but I'd never imagined a split like this.

Licorice placed a hand on Nadia's frozen shoulder.

"I'm not kidding. Didn't I tell you before? You're doing well. It's true even now. If it's you, you can make it through with Sabre."

"... Really?"

"You can't do it right now. That's why you'll go train. Orca will give you a crash course. I've got just the equipment for it."

"T-Train?"

"What, you were hoping to coast through? I've set up a simulation that's practically as tough as the real thing. Just throw yourself into it. Agreed?"

Holding tight to Nadia, who kept pulling away, Licorice looked my way, really asking if I agreed to the plan as a whole, not just the training.

I quickly looked around at the others, my gaze finally meeting Roxy at the edge.

Noticing, Roxy grinned. He spoke with a casual air.

"Hey, friend. Worried about me?"

"I worry about everyone. But I trust you, Nadia, the others—all of you."

He laughed.

"I'll make it worth your trust. Friend, this is the kind of op I live for. I told you before—I'll be the Joker for your sake. Last time was close; this time, it won't be."

"So that's everyone in agreement?"

Licorice sought final confirmation. I nodded. There was no denying it was a crazy plan. But at this point, this crazy plan had the best chance.

With that, Licorice gave a nod to the waiting Beta Series.

"Take Woof-woof away."

「Order confirmed.」

"Huh, wah? I'm not ready—!"

As Beta Series grabbed her shoulders, Nadia went pale, her tail fur exploding.

"Use that time for more simulations. That's how you prepare."

"I know! But—! Hyun-woo! Hyun-woo...!"

Her desperate gaze burned into me, but I could only turn away in tears. It was unavoidable; my life depended on Nadia now, so there was no room for compromise.

She was dragged out of the bridge, her cries of 'Help, save me!' trailing behind.

「(⊙_⊙)」

That left Carry alone, its visual sensors flickering nervously, which Licorice didn't miss. She gestured at Beta Series again.

"Take that robot too. It should run simulations together—two are better than one, right? They'll be riding together anyway."

「Order confirmed.」

「ヽ(ﾟДﾟ)ﾉ」

As Carry tried to escape in panic, Beta Series blocked its path. It met the same fate as Nadia.

「(☍д⁰)」

Carry's weeping face vanished between the closing bridge doors. Licorice spoke over the channel to Orca.

"Orca, put them through the wringer. They look pitiful, but their skills are solid. With their talent, they'll absorb anything you teach."

「Short-term intensive training is this unit's specialty. Will instruct using present pilot Gloxinia's accumulated data.」

And so things returned to square one. Titan was sealed again, the situation beyond the barrier unknown. Orbiting fleet contact was lost; we couldn't tell whether they were safe.

But for us, the turning point had already passed. The Invasion Tree on Titan was just one more obstacle after making a breakthrough.

That meant there was no reason we couldn't overcome it. It wasn't a god—only something pretending to be one. All that remained was to break through.

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