After ending the communication, the captain of the Montgomery took a deep breath and asked:
"Has the Vice Minister evacuated?"
"...No, the ejection passage for the rescue capsule was damaged by GINN's artillery fire. The capsule is stuck halfway."
A radar operator nearby replied somewhat helplessly, clearly not expecting the problem to occur there.
Hearing this, the captain of the Montgomery was also at a loss for words. He had thought that with all the time they had bought... the other party would have safely evacuated by now, but instead they were stuck in the ejection passage.
It could only be said... fortune was not on their side.
He waved his hand, signaling to leave that individual be, then continued with a serious expression:
"You all heard my communication just now... I assume everyone understands my intentions."
"Next, I will use this battleship to create an opportunity for the Strike Suit. Please issue the abandon ship signal to all crew members, then leave."
After giving the order, he returned to his captain's seat... As the captain, he chose to stand or fall with this battleship.
The crew on the bridge carried out the operations as expected, having the battleship issue the abandon ship signal... then returned to their original seats, remaining in place as if nothing had happened.
"...? I believe I just said that everyone may leave now."
The captain of the Montgomery, seeing everyone standing firm, repeated with some confusion.
"That's right."
The radar operator nodded, smiling as he spoke.
"But... it wasn't explicitly stated that we must leave, was it?"
The captain of the Montgomery was momentarily stunned by this response. He scanned the surroundings and saw that every crew member on the bridge was looking at him with the same trusting and proud smile as the radar operator.
Seeing this, he said no more. Suppressing the emotion in his chest, he turned his gaze forward again, took a deep breath, and issued the command in a trembling voice:
"Very well, turn the ship around! Load all anti-beam mine tubes! Fire immediately after this ship completes its penetration maneuver!"
——————————————————————
On the battlefield, before Lu Tianming and Xia Chuan could even react, they saw the Montgomery thrust into the airspace before them like a fortress wall.
A sky full of anti-beam mines, flashbangs, and similar devices were released as it charged forward, forming a protective barrier that completely intercepted the barrages from the Nazca-class and the Aegis.
...However, it was clear that these defensive layers were rapidly diminishing under the bombardment from the Aegis and the Nazca-class. In almost the blink of an eye, the main body of the Montgomery had already sustained some damage.
Only then did they realize that the other side intended to use themselves as a shield to create an opportunity for them to change equipment.
Seeing this, Xia Chuan was momentarily stunned. For a moment, he felt the heavy burden of life suddenly fall upon his shoulders.
Previously, the fight had been for his own survival, so he hadn't thought much about it... but now, he was witnessing an entire ship's crew, willing to sacrifice themselves to buy him time for the sake of victory in this battle.
For a moment, he felt the immense weight of responsibility pressing down on him, leaving him at a loss for what to do.
"Don't space out! Do you want to let this precious time go to waste?!"
Lu Tianming's reprimand, tinged with anger, echoed in his ears like a thunderclap, jolting Xia Chuan back to awareness.
Xia Chuan snapped back to reality—indeed... now was not the time for hesitation.
No excessive thought was needed now—all he had to do was fight!
"Xia Chuan, I've taken control of the Manta Ray's systems from here. Disengage the Aerial Combat Backpack now and align its sensor interface with my calibration laser!"
Knowing Xia Chuan's unstable mental state, Lu Tianming denied him any opportunity to dwell on pointless thoughts, immediately issuing another command.
Xia Chuan nodded silently in response. The Striker Pack on his back was instantly released, discarded like an empty fuel tank.
The crimson Manta Ray flight platform swiftly approached, emitting two calibration lasers from the mounting points of the Artillery Pack beneath it.
As the lasers fine-tuned their alignment with the Strike Suit, he roared:
"Calibration complete, Tianming, now!"
"Got it!"
Without hesitation, Lu Tianming pressed the pack launch button. Components of the Artillery Pack shot forth like missiles, hurled downward by the Manta Ray straight toward the Strike Suit:
"Artillery Pack components, launch!"
Xia Chuan felt something closing in on his body. He took a deep breath—channeling the momentum, he embraced the components as if pulling them directly onto himself, clenched his fists together, and shouted:
"Build—Up!"
The launched parts snapped onto the Strike Suit as if drawn by magnetic force. Simultaneously, the nearly depleted energy gauge surged back to full capacity with the integration of the new components!
"The Montgomery ahead hasn't been completely destroyed—Xia Chuan, full speed ahead!"
Lu Tianming glanced forward. Though the Montgomery was scorched by battle, it still showed signs of survival. He summoned the Manta Ray platform beneath his feet and sped toward the Montgomery at full throttle.
Hearing this, Xia Chuan felt renewed strength. With the new pack integrated, he was revitalized, responding excitedly:
"Roger! After being shot at by the Nazca for so long... it's time we return the favor!"
——————————————-
Aboard the Nazca, Creuset watched the Montgomery using itself as a shield and smirked inwardly.
A mere Earth Alliance Forces battleship... how long could it hold out even at full capacity? It probably couldn't even buy enough time for the Strike Suit to return to the Archangel, let alone recharge and redeploy.
Unaware of the Strike Suit's pack-swapping maneuver, Creuset saw the Montgomery's struggle as merely prolonging the Strike Suit's desperate survival.
Just as he prepared to order intensified firepower to crush them both, an alarm suddenly blared.
"Captain Creuset, we're being targeted!"
"Oh? Do the Federation Army have reinforcements?"
Creuset raised an eyebrow, speaking with mild surprise—though logically, any new battleship entering the battlefield should have been detected by radar first.
"No... the one targeting us is the X105-Strike Suit!"
The communications officer stared at the information flashing on the screen, voice trembling with disbelief.
"The Strike Suit? How is that possible!"
Creuset instinctively retorted. At the moment, the Strike Suit was hovering near the maximum effective range of the Nazca's main cannon. Just a bit farther, and even their battleship's main guns might lose both destructive power and targeting capability... How could a mere MS like the Strike possibly possess a weapon with such an extended range?
But before he could voice his doubts, the crimson light stream rushing toward him provided the most direct answer.