Whoosh—
A golden beam shot straight into the sky. Those whose attention had been drawn away by the Sovereign-class Fighters finally noticed what was happening here.
They still hadn't figured out the situation, but their response was anything but slow. The moment Dorio's squad was spotted, an armored unit sped toward them in ground vehicles, while armed AVs and armed Drones converged from the air. Dorio's massive frame was simply too conspicuous.
"Capture them alive if possible."
The instant Maitoh saw this, he issued the order. He had long coveted these powerful PROJECT members but had never had the chance to get his hands on them. Now that an opportunity had finally appeared, he wasn't about to miss it.
What they didn't notice was that the golden beam had already vanished into the sky.
Far above, in orbit, a PROJECT satellite received the signal.
As the massive satellite slowly unfolded, a colossal cannon emerged.
The Highriders and the European Space Agency, who had been closely monitoring PROJECT's movements, were completely stunned. They looked at each other and saw the same confusion—this move had caught them utterly unprepared.
Their shock, however, did nothing to stop the weapon from charging.
Golden energy particles gathered at the muzzle. In moments, a radiance like a miniature sun flared beneath the PROJECT satellite.
Then it condensed into an enormous golden beam and plunged straight downward.
The terrifying energy fluctuations immediately triggered alarms across nearby satellites, space stations, and space warships.
In the blink of an eye, the attack reached the skies above the New United States forces. They detected the massive energy surge, but there was no time to order a retreat. They could only watch as it descended.
Boom!
An unbearable wave of heat and a violent energy storm blasted outward, disrupting electronic signals across the surrounding area.
Armed Drones and AVs wobbled uncontrollably in midair. Blinding light filled everyone's vision.
It didn't last long.
When the light finally faded, what remained was enough to send chills through anyone who saw it.
The ground had crystallized. Molten rock flowed through the impact zone. A small crater had formed where the unit had once stood.
The forces stationed there were simply gone.
After unleashing that strike, Dorio immediately entered standby mode. Her energy reserves were completely drained, and she required recharging.
The PROJECT satellite in orbit also dimmed, quietly waiting for its energy to recover.
Sensing this, numerous factions in space subtly maneuvered closer to the PROJECT satellite, attempting to observe its condition.
Though only a small unit had been destroyed, the power displayed was more than enough to tempt them. And anyone with insight could tell—the only limitation had been total energy reserves.
Which meant…
With sufficient energy, this weapon would rival an orbital launcher as a strategic asset—perhaps even surpass it in efficiency.
The moment Dorio lost consciousness, nearby security robots swiftly sealed her inside a containment unit. Taking advantage of the fact that the surrounding New United States forces were still reeling from the energy storm, they evacuated with her immediately.
Meanwhile, Maitoh watched as "good news" reports continued to stream in from his subordinates. Veins throbbed at his temples.
Fortunately, he had prepared himself mentally. He wasn't crushed by it.
"Commander Maitoh, all devices have been fully deployed!"
"Good. No more waiting—activate them immediately!"
"Yes, sir!"
The moment he heard the electromagnetic silence devices were ready, Maitoh finally let out a breath of relief and gave the order without hesitation.
In an instant, countless devices activated simultaneously, forming an enormous electromagnetic silence field.
A Sovereign-class Fighter still inside the area was inevitably affected.
Its response was immediate. The Energy Shield activated, and it accelerated out of the zone at extreme speed, returning to the PROJECT forces.
Boros stared at the silence field, mildly surprised.
He had expected some kind of delaying tactic—but not this. He had to admit, it was highly effective. After all, their forces were almost entirely mechanized.
Forcing their way through with Energy Shields would likely invite a missile saturation strike. In that environment, the Sovereign-class Fighters would consume energy at an alarming rate and face increased operational risks.
The enemy had effectively forced them into single-unit combat—or into taking a detour.
Either way, the objective of buying time had been achieved.
"I remember the boss arranged for someone to research that new giant mecha, didn't he?"
"Hmm… I think so. Wasn't it called the Overlord Mecha?"
"Unit-01 should be completed by now, right? Have them deploy it here. It's the perfect opportunity to test its performance."
Boros looked at Chris as he spoke.
Chris fell into thought.
If they sent Unit-01… even if it got destroyed, the resource loss wouldn't be too significant, would it?
"I'll submit a request."
Boros nodded.
On the other side, Maitoh exhaled slowly as the situation temporarily stabilized. PROJECT still had to deal with the intelligent virus. That bought them time to formulate a new plan.
...
"Unit-01?"
Roland rubbed his chin when he received Chris's request. If he remembered correctly, he had assigned that project to Moket earlier, though he hadn't paid much attention to the details.
"If it helps the main battlefield, deploy it."
"Understood."
Chris nodded and immediately contacted Moket.
Though Moket wasn't particularly pleased, he didn't argue. Before long, he approved the transfer.
Soon after, the gates of the underground base in Nevada opened once again.
That sight made the New United States uneasy.
The last time those gates had opened, the Sovereign-class Fighters had emerged.
This time…
No one knew what would come out.