"What? Marley has reinforced their troops? Are they out of their minds?"
When Yago learned the news, he was both shocked and speechless. For some reason, in order to take Grayle Fortress, Marley had transferred tens of thousands of additional troops—an elite force made up entirely of Marleyans.
Logically speaking, that should be a good thing, right? More troops should make capturing the fortress easier.
But then came the most astonishing development—or rather, the most infuriating one for the Eldian forces. Every single one of the transferred Marleyan units had been stationed behind the front-line Eldian troops.
As a result, many Eldian units now found themselves with Marleyan "supervisory squads" packed to the brim behind them. In some cases, the supervising troops even outnumbered the actual combat forces. Yago's Third Regiment was one of those cases. Behind them stood a full five thousand Marleyan soldiers.
At this point, it was no longer accurate to call them supervisory squads. It was more like the Eldian units had been designated as cannon fodder. And the orders Yago received only confirmed his suspicions.
Marley's command demanded that the Third Regiment launch a full-scale assault the day after tomorrow—at all costs. They were not permitted to retreat even a single step.
The intention couldn't have been more obvious. Marley was clearly using the Eldians as expendable shields for their own army.
This sudden development left Yago momentarily at a loss. Their original plan had been completely disrupted. Ahead of them lay dense Middle Eastern fortifications, and behind them, Marleyan troops watched like predators. The Third Regiment's situation had become perilous in an instant.
Faced with this, Serena had no solution either. The two of them stood inside the operations tent, staring at the map in frustration.
Serena: "Marley clearly doesn't trust us. They've positioned themselves directly behind us, completely blocking any retreat. They're forcing us to fight the Middle Easterners to the death. But the Middle Eastern defenses are incredibly tough as well.
The fortress in the southern stone forest we're facing will be a meat grinder. The only way to break those bunkers is for our soldiers to get in close and destroy them with grenades or satchel charges. But those natural rock formations are unbelievably solid. The explosives a single soldier can carry simply aren't enough..."
The more Serena spoke, the more hopeless she sounded. The future seemed pitch black.
After listening to her analysis and studying the map, Yago's mind raced for a solution.
"Is it possible to send Airi Ambers's Sea-Diving Titan?"
Serena shook her head. "Those fortresses are too sturdy. The Sea-Diving Titan probably won't be able to do anything. Unless the Armored Titan were here."
Yago thought so too. Perhaps his Fate Titan could smash through those bunkers easily using the War Hammer Titan's hardening ability. But Airi Ambers's Sea-Diving Titan definitely couldn't. It would probably exhaust itself to the point of disappearing before taking down even one or two bunkers. And he absolutely couldn't reveal his identity right now.
"Then what about artillery? Didn't Marley also bring in a large number of artillery units? Can't they blast these bunkers open?"
Serena shook her head again.
"Still no. Unless the shells can fire directly into the bunker windows, it's pointless."
Yago slammed his fist against the table.
But then Serena's last sentence sparked something in his mind. He suddenly shot to his feet and grabbed her shoulders.
"Serena, what did you just say?"
She looked confused. "Uh… I said our methods would be pointless."
"Not that one. The sentence before that!"
"The one before? Uh… unless the shells can fire into the bunker windows?"
Yago nodded excitedly. "Yes! That's it! That's our opportunity!"
Without waiting for her response, he rushed out of the tent in a hurry.
Serena was left standing there, bewildered.
"Has he been driven mad by the pressure? Firing shells into windows—wasn't that a joke? Is he planning to haul cannons right up to the Middle Eastern fortress gates?"
She quickly stood up and hurried after him. She had just recognized him as her leader—he was still young; she couldn't let him lose his mind from stress.
Yago went straight to the logistics storage area and began rummaging through a pile of supplies taken—no, borrowed—from Bagge.
Soon Serena and Airi Ambers, who had been wandering nearby, arrived. The two watched curiously as Yago dug through the crates.
Before long, he pulled out a wooden box. When he opened it, two rows of green tubes lay inside.
The unfamiliar weapon made Serena frown. She stepped closer, examined the markings on the crate, and read aloud,
"Ba… Bazooka? What is this?"
Holding up one of the bazookas, Yago grinned. "Good stuff. The perfect tool to deal with those Middle Eastern bunkers."
He remembered the bazooka very clearly. During the battle to reclaim Wall Maria on Paradis Island, he had seen Marleyan soldiers use it—and had even suffered a minor setback because of it. (See Chapter 162 for details.)
It was simple and convenient to operate. More importantly, its firing mechanism launched the projectile in a nearly straight line. However, the weapon wasn't popular within the Marleyan army. Its power was limited, it wasn't easy to carry, and its range was short. Many units looked down on it. Bagge had possessed nearly all the bazookas in the army at the time. When Yago had… paid a visit to Bagge, he recognized them instantly and, true to his habit of never leaving anything valuable behind, took them along.
And wasn't this situation exactly when the bazooka could shine?
Its straight-line trajectory. Power stronger than grenades and satchel charges, even if weaker than artillery shells. Short range, yes—but far safer than running up to a bunker and blowing it up at point-blank distance.
The bazooka was practically the perfect bunker-busting weapon.
After Yago finished explaining, Serena's eyes widened in disbelief. She hadn't expected such a weapon to exist.
Yago immediately ordered her to gather personnel and have them familiarize themselves with the bazookas as quickly as possible. This was their last chance.
.....
"Gabi, did you hear? The battle starts the day after tomorrow," Falco said worriedly, clutching a steel helmet.
Across from him, Gabi lay on her back staring at the sky. At his words, she glanced sideways.
"Are you scared?"
Falco quickly shook his head.
"No, I just… wanted to say it. I hope you'll be careful."
Gabi: "Heh. Don't worry about me, coward. Just take care of yourself. I'll prove to everyone what a Warrior Candidate can do."
On the other side, Zofia covered her mouth and giggled.
"Poor Falco. He shows concern and still gets called a coward."
Her teasing made Falco's face redden, and Udo, standing nearby, laughed happily as well.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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