Chapter 165

　　Iris Naice panted with exhaustion. Her hair was plastered to her face with sweat, and the adrenaline of combat was wearing off, replaced with a shakiness that hindered her control of Luminous.

　　She had been fighting for less than an hour, but the endless waves of Vore meant that she couldn`t take a break. Every time she tried to retreat through the opening in the Sphere, another group of bulky Vore soldier variants would attack with projectile energy weapons, forcing her to reorient the crystal orbs into a shield pattern.

　　Luminous could operate indefinitely on its energy reserves. During her combat training, Iris had never even come close to draining its reactor. But, like all the Titans, the main weakness of the Mobile Suits was the Pilots within.

　　She was tired. The constant control of the Titan`s systems and attack meant she couldn`t relax for a moment. Luminous may be practically indestructible, but the Vore`s energy weapons would overcome Iris in the cockpit if they were allowed to breech her shields.

　　It meant that Iris Naice was being pushed to her limits in a short time, and there was no relief in sight.

　　"You bastards!" Iris shouted, unleashing another bolt of energy that ricocheted between her crystal orbs. Hundreds of Vore disappeared in its light, only to be replaced in moments by many more. The Vore responded with a barrage of energy weapons. Lines of fire shot toward her, burning anything in their path.

　　Iris quickly drew back the crystals spheres, forming a wall in front of her that she fed more of the Titan`s energy into. A shimmering barrier was constructed moments before hundreds of energy weapons struck it. A force of energy shattered against the shield.

　　Even in the void of space, the impact forced Luminous backwards. Extreme heat radiated from the detonation, and the Titan`s frame caught the full brunt. The temperature of the cockpit rose quickly, taxing the environmental regulation systems to their limits.

　　Luminous backed away from the detonation, using the cover of the impact in an attempt to reach the breech again. To Iris` frustration, another group of Vore had used the opportunity to flank her shield, and she was forced further away from the opening.

　　The longer she was outside the Sphere, the more time the Vore would have to awaken from within the Hive.

　　Another bombardment began, and the Vore had formed a half-ring around her this time. Releasing the crystal orbs once again, she created a barrier around Luminous. The temperature in the cockpit reached unbearable levels, and even in her Pilot Bodysuit, Iris could feel her skin burning.

　　Screaming, she was desperately thinking of a way to escape when the attack abruptly ceased. A golden light shone brightly in front of her, forming a barrier that drove the Vore back. She could see the weapons impacting harmlessly on the shield as it expanded.

　　The golden light intensified with each collision, darkening from a warm honey colour to a dark, aged bronze.

　　Suddenly, in a flash, the light exploded outwards. For hundreds of miles in each direction, the Vore opposing them were destroyed in an instant. The barrier, after rapidly expanding, retracted around Luminous once more.

　　"What the-?" Iris was about to ask when a communication cut her off.

　　"I thought you could use some help." Patrick Grandster spoke, his image appearing on her HUD.

　　With a gaudy golden Pilot Bodysuit, he had a cocky grin on his face. The light in front of Luminous faded, revealing the perfect figure of Sovereign. It had its sceptre in both hands, raised to ward off any further attacks.

　　"I had everything well in hand." Iris replied. Despite the fact that she was exhausted and covered in burns, she would never admit to her opponents that she was on her last legs.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

　　"I bet." Patrick replied dryly.

　　The two Titans quickly returned through the breach in the sphere, with Sovereign`s barrier wrapped around them, driving the Vore back.

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　　"He has her." One of Argyle`s aides reported from the sensor terminal they had set up in the Silver Pyramid.

　　Argyle let out a sigh of relief. They were barely an hour into this conflict and, they had nearly lost a Titan. As soon as she had been pulled outside the Dyson Sphere, Argyle had ordered Patrick to retrieve her. Even Sovereign, with its shielding capable of repelling any force, had taken too much time to make it to her location.

　　"That`s one less thing to worry about." Argyle muttered, returning his attention to the hologram showing a battlefield map.

　　They were being pushed back on all sides. The Vore were endless in their numbers and more aggressive than even Aurelius had predicted. The Emperor theorized that perhaps they were hungry after their long slumber, driving them to near derangement as they hurled themselves at the Humans.

　　Whatever the reason, Argyle`s forces suffered heavier casualties than even their worst predictions had projected. The Titans had been forced to intervene multiple times, putting a strain on their Pilots, who should be held in reserve for the possible emergence of the Monarch` variants.

　　Argyle hoped they would be out of the Dyson Sphere and back in the Milky Way before those monsters appeared, or they would be in an even worse state than they currently were.

　　"Another rift has appeared in the southern sector, and our forces are being routed!" Another Aide shouted, adding her voice to the ruckus in the room. Argyle frowned. It was much too early to fall back. Even if the plan called for them to fight until a section was lost, retreat, and blow the entire area with prepared explosives, they needed to hold longer.

　　At this rate, they wouldn`t survive to see the Sphere detonate.

　　"Have Hyperion assist." Argyle ordered. Katherine and Yanis were in reserve, and the other four Titans were each responsible for a section. With Naice removed and Grandster sent to rescue her, that had left the southern sector temporarily without a Titan.

　　It had been his hope that they could manage without one for a time, but it seemed that the Titans were the only thing keeping the entire defensive line intact. With Hyperion now on the front line, Luminous could rest on the reserve until she was adequately recovered.

　　Argyle snuck a look at the progress on the energy buildup for the final detonation of the artificial sun, something he had taken to doing every few minutes. It had barely moved since the last time he had checked.

　　He would see the Vore defeated, whatever it took, and everyone who relied on him returned home safely.

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　　Katherine immediately flew toward the southern sector after receiving her orders to reinforce the defences there. Hyperion was a blur in the sky as the crack of its passage indicated that it broke the sound barrier. The troops looked up at the noise to see the racing Titan speed south.

　　The cockpit was silent around her as she increased her speed.

　　Hyperion was the fastest of the Titans, its graceful and lithe frame designed for high velocity and mobility. Its thrusters left a streak of yellow light behind it as she pushed them harder. She reached the southern sector in under five minutes; its speed was astounding, and she hadn`t even reached its limits when she slowed to assess the situation below.

　　Mobile Suits and Exosuited troops were fighting millions of Vore that were emerging from the ground through hundreds of rifts. Lasguns fired continuously into the horde of monsters, and crimson PPC energy crisscrossed the battlefield.

　　Explosions erupted at steady intervals, scorching thousands of Vore, but were incapable of driving the creatures back. The dead and dying were piling up on both sides, and it was clear that the human`s defensive line was crumbling.

　　Katherine took a deep breath, focusing her mind on what she had to do. Her training with Kal had helped. His insights into his own Titan had let her better control her own. But it was still incredibly draining to use Hyperion.

　　Stifling her unease, she concentrated solely on the task at hand.

　　"Strident Blades." Katherine whispered. The Hyperion pulled two large progressive blades from compartments on its legs. The knives began to make a keening noise as they vibrated in the Titan`s hands. Capable of cutting everything they touched, these weapons gave the Titan its name.

　　The Piercing Radiance.

　　Hyperion disappeared in a streak of light. Reaching the surface instantly, it weaved its way through the horde of Vore, slicing and stabbing as it ripped through them.

　　Time seemed to slow down to Katherine as Hyperion moved at unimaginable speed. Her senses could barely keep up, and it looked as if she were moving through a frozen world, everything around her unable to match her incredible velocity.

　　The battling troops saw nothing but a streak of light that left nothing but dead and dying Vore in its wake. With a cheer, they renewed their assault on the Vore, knowing that a Titan had arrived to help them.