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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Just as Brigadier General Erwin Staufen’s 33rd Mechanized Brigade was about five kilometers from the Armaments Bureau…
A Titan interception force, deployed to protect the nest, appeared before them.
The mechanized brigade, which had repeatedly repelled Titan hordes during its advance, became complacent.
“Engage with coaxial machine guns only. Conserve the anti-Titan canister shots!”
Complacency was a deadly sin when facing Titans and that was precisely what they fell victim to.
They had been lulled into a false sense of security, having easily defeated small groups of Titans.
“Kiiiieeeek!!”
“Enemy contact! Commence machine gun fire!!”
Ratatatatatata!!
Sharp machine gun rounds fired from the front of the tanks tore through the air.
As usual, the reckless Titans charged like moths drawn to a flame, roaring ferociously.
The soldiers laughed, watching the man-eating monsters crumble effortlessly.
“Hahaha! They’re dropping like flies!”
“Their numbers are surprisingly low for a defensive force, aren’t they?”
“It means they’re getting desperate. With their main force tied down, how many reinforcements can they produce and deploy at this point?”
“The victory belongs to our 2nd Battalion!”
Just then…
Kaboom! Bang!
Fwoosh—!!!
Flames erupted from the lead tank.
The turret, engulfed in the explosion, was launched into the air before crashing back down to the ground.
“W-What…?!”
As the soldiers hesitated, caught off guard by the sudden turn of events…
Whoosh! Bang!!
Kaboom!!!!
“Ambush! We’re under attack!!! Anti-tank variants!!”
The Titans’ counteroffensive began in earnest.
The 2nd Battalion, at the forefront, was completely exposed to the surprise attack.
“Retreat! Fall back immediately! Send a distress signal to our allies in the rear!!”
“Battalion Commander! Our retreat route is blocked!! These bastards were waiting for us!!”
In the blink of an eye, not only had they lost two tanks, but their retreat was also cut off.
“Tank number 6, hit! We’re hit!!!”
“Aaaargh! Aaaaaargh!!”
“All units! Follow the battalion commander! The battalion commander’s tank will lead the way!”
The 2nd Battalion Commander quickly took the lead, attempting to clear a path, but it proved to be a fatal mistake.
Anti-tank Titans, hidden in the roadside bushes, emerged all at once.
They tried to disrupt the enemy’s bio-signatures with smoke grenades, but it was a desperate measure at best.
Kaboom!!
Fwoosh—!!!
“Battalion Commander! Battalion Commander, respond!!”
“We’re surrounded! Company Commander!”
“Damn it! We’re cut off!! Completely surrounded! Get out of here! Secure a retreat route, no matter what!!”
“This is the 3rd Company! Company Commander’s tank hit and destroyed! The 3rd Platoon will now assume command!”
The communication network, once filled with confident chatter and laughter, was quickly overwhelmed by the shouts and screams of soldiers.
The disaster wasn’t confined to the 33rd Mechanized Brigade.
“Mayday, mayday! We’re going down…!! Transmitting coordinates. Requesting immediate rescue!!”
“Flight formation is impossible! Colonel, we need to retreat!!!”
Just minutes ago, the air units had been soaring through the sky with ease.
Titans couldn’t engage in air combat, making close air support a simple task.
It wasn’t just the attack helicopters.
Transport helicopters were also deployed, continuously rescuing citizens stranded in the north.
The escort for Lea Gilliard’s school bus was also part of these efforts.
However, at some point, a dense enemy anti-aircraft network had begun to emerge.
It wasn’t just long-range attack variants haphazardly firing their projectiles.
The “helicopter hunters,” which had plagued the air force during the Great War, had appeared.
Several helicopters, flying carefree in the sky, were suddenly blown to pieces.
As soon as Lydia received the report about the enemy’s established anti-aircraft network, she ordered all helicopters to return to base.
The Titans’ anti-aircraft network showed no mercy.
It was like a net, not a harpoon.
While desperately dodging the barrage of anti-aircraft fire from all directions, the helicopters inevitably collided with each other, leaving them vulnerable to the Titans’ attacks.
After all, besides their ability to fly, they were essentially no different from light armored vehicles.
The 33rd Mechanized Brigade.
The hastily assembled air division.
The monstrous horde had blocked the two spears that had been advancing with such momentum and they began their counteroffensive.
As if they had been holding back all along.
Even Luthers Edan, the mastermind behind the operation, was overwhelmed by the flood of bad news and unable to respond.
Because the enemy’s artillery shells were raining down on their command post.
“Mucous bomb inbound—!!”
Boom! Bang!!
“Sir! Watch out!!”
Karin Maven desperately grabbed Luthers Edan as a mucous bomb hurtled towards him, pulling him back.
Luthers was thrown to the ground, but his eyes were still glued to the tactical map.
“They… developed the hive this quickly?”
It was a sight he had never witnessed in his forty regressions.
Luthers and others often likened the development of Titan hives to a tech tree.
The first stage was the initial infestation and expansion of the nest.
The second stage involved establishing several secondary nests further away from the original nest and producing large numbers of standard Titans.
And the third stage was when they began producing specialized variants for specific roles like artillery, anti-aircraft, and reconnaissance.
It didn’t take long to progress from the first to the second stage.
However, the third stage was a different story.
While some specialized variants were produced during the second stage, producing long-range artillery variants like this required a third stage hive, and a relatively developed one at that.
This rapid development, even considering the abundant nutrients available in the urban environment, was abnormal.
Luthers immediately realized this wasn’t just a coincidence.
“Mikhail, that bastard…!!”
Luthers gritted his teeth.
Just because he hadn’t participated in the war directly didn’t mean he was ignorant of the Titans’ nature.
He could actually observe them from a more objective perspective.
He could see further because he hadn’t experienced it firsthand.
Only someone who hadn’t lost loved ones to Titans could even contemplate altering their genetic makeup to create more intelligent and dangerous variants.
They had already crossed the line once, so what was stopping them from crossing it again?
“Karin, clear the way. The command post’s communication can’t be interrupted.”
“…! Understood.”
Her red eyes gleamed.
The “mucous bombs” launched by the long-range artillery Titans were literally organic projectiles.
Inhaling the spores released from the mucous was enough to cause a fatal biohazard.
It also contained enzymes that could transform healthy individuals into Titans.
Karin Maven drew her pistol and began clearing a path.
The biochemical bombardment was focused on their command post.
Soldiers screamed in agony as their bodies were riddled with the infectious agent, and corpses collapsed on the ground, only to rise again, craving life.
Karin calmly pulled the trigger, eliminating her zombified comrades.
There was sadness in her actions, but no hesitation.
Luthers simply etched the faces of his fallen Strategic Security Agency comrades into his memory.
Just like he had done at the Graveyard Fortress.
Finally, reaching the devastated communication center, Luthers Edan grabbed the receiver and shouted.
“Attention all units engaged in combat!! All forces beyond the second line of defense, withdraw immediately!!”
The hive was developing at an alarming rate.
They were still weaker compared to the Titans during the Great War, but that applied to his side as well.
The soldiers had been fighting day and night, fueled by the momentum of the coup.
They hadn’t had proper rest, and neither had the government troops they had been facing.
In this situation, with this unforeseen variable, it was better to take a step back.
Countless times, he had witnessed disastrous outcomes because he had hesitated to make a difficult decision, clinging to the hope of achieving a near victory.
Just like in the previous cycle.
The last hive.
When they set out to eliminate the first nest, where all the tragedy had begun.
He had pressed forward, fearing they might lose the opportunity, despite not having gathered enough troops.
The result was the complete annihilation of the Graveyard Fortress.
Luthers, who vividly remembered those days of agonizing regret, having been broken, shattered, and scarred, didn’t want to repeat that mistake.
“Please… come back alive…!! Everyone…!!!!”
It was the first time he had confessed his true feelings in this cycle.
Just as he pleaded, his voice choked with emotion…
Luthers Edan’s body was shoved aside with force.
“—?!?!”
“Ugh…!!!”
A groan pierced through the chaotic background noise.
He felt a cold sensation.
Luthers turned his head, only to see his adjutant, her body pierced by a bio-infected zombie.
“Karin…?”
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[Holy shit broo not karin!!! man wtf]
