The battle formation was one of the trump cards of the Larkinson Clan. Enabled by battle networks which were entirely spiritual in nature, they essentially allowed spiritually.powerful entities to channel their prodigious might directly into the material realm!
The odd part about battle formations was that they should technically be illegal. The key to enabling them from outputting the massive damage they were known for was by aligning and combining the minds of many different mech pilots connected to the network.
This was in effect a combination attack that allowed mechs and mech pilots to exceed their hard firepower limitations!
In fact, people had attempted similar means in the past. For example, there was a case where a mech designer came up with a purpose.built machine that could merge together and combine their weapons in order to form a huge laser weapon that was the equivalent of the main cannon of a cruiser!
Suffice to say, the MTA did not allow this combination mech to persist for long. If everyone else follow suit, then the taboo against weapons of mass destruction had no meaning anymore!
There was no way the MTA was ignorant of what the Larkinson Clan could do with its battle formations. Public footage of some of its powerful attacks had already spread throughout the galactic net. The Larkinson Battalion under the leadership of Commander Casella Ingvar had even employed it during the G.Aena League!
Ves also knew the mechers could move quickly if they wanted to. They had been remarkably fast in revising the tournament rules to prevent abnormal mech designers like Ketis from relying on non.mech designer powers to influence the outcome of competitive mech duels.
That happened only a little over a month ago, yet battle formations appeared much earlier!
Why hadn’t the MTA issued a ruling that forbid this exceptionally powerful solution?
If it was before, Ves wouldn’t have just scratched his head and thank his luck that the MTA’s bureaucracy was as slow and distracted as always.
Now, he knew better.
“The MTA must be split on this issue.”
Ves could imagine that major factions such as the Unbounders, the Mech Supremacists and especially the Warship Abolitionists loved the fact that mechs and mech pilots could inflict far greater damage than one would expect from a group of mechs.
On the other hand, the Preservers, the Guiders and several other factions concerned with the stability of human civilization must be hating battle formations with a vengeance.
Although Ves had no clue how the discussion on battle formations proceeded within the MTA, the opposing factions either failed to come to a consensus or the side that supported battle formations somehow gained the upper hand.
“It is truly a good way for mechs to display power comparable to warships without actually fielding any of the latter.”
If Ves was able to develop this method further and elevate it into a more universal technique, then the MTA could potentially apply it to many of its own mech units, thereby giving each of them the power to fight against actual battleships!
Why would the MTA even have to continue with maintaining its own warships when one of the biggest shortcomings of its own mechs had disappeared?
Of course, it was not that simple, though. Battle formations had harsh requirements and were usually effective in just a single burst.
Warships were much more versatile because they could fight continuously without tiring out so soon. They were also capable of moving independently in space and could fulfill so many other functions.
Regardless, Ves knew that the Larkinson Clan could utilize its battle formations without concern. The fact that an MTA frigate in the form of the Simile Halifax was observing everything with her sophisticated sensors did not make the Larkinsons more reticent!
Orders soon flowed to different mech pilots.
When Commander Melkor received notification on what the Larkinsons were planning, he did not exhibit much surprise.
“Figures. We don’t have any other attacks that can punch through this giant beast’s body. It’s a pity that my men can’t take part in this action.”
The Avatars of Myth had to continue fighting as usual. Their mech pilots may have developed a technique that enabled them to invoke different design spirits, but this was not comparable to real battle networks.
The focus once again lay on the usual suspects. The Penitent Sisters, the Glory Seekers and the Swordmaidens were already experienced in this regard and were already moving into position.
The Eye of Ylvaine had yet to show off their full might, but would have an excellent opportunity to do so in this crucial moment!
Commander Taon Melin of the Eye of Ylvaine was under a lot of pressure this time. He and his fellow Ylvainan mech pilots had yet to employ this method in a high.pressure situation like this where their efforts could mean the difference between victory and defeat.
Though he tried to seek guidance from the Great Prophet in order to calm his nerves, Ylvaine did not resolve his doubts this time.
He knew he shouldn’t be looking to Ylvaine to reassure him all the time, but the habit was difficult to break.
“I must have confidence in my own men. They can do it because we all share the same faith.”
Taon no longer let his doubts plague his mind and coordinated with the other mech pilots to prepare for their great move.
Even as the Transcendent Punishers began to turn their powerful cannons at the distant astral beast, the Eye of Ylvaine also played another card.
The Rod of Ylvaine that Ves had made as desperate experiment in the past began to serve as a catalyst for the Eye of Ylvaine’s battle network.
It became significantly easier for the Ylvainans to align their minds to each other and therefore reach the uniformity required to bring Ylvaine closer to them than ever!
“Praise Ylvaine!”
“Seek the path to victory!”
“Let the light show the way!”
The Transcendent Punishers stationed in bunkers on the Spirit of Bentheim and other nearby capital ships each moved with united purpose. As the silhouette of a giant robed figure vaguely hovered above the Larkinson capital ships, the cannons of the heavy artillery mechs all seem to adjust their aim as if they were guided by a divine will.
As the only expert candidate in the battle network, Commander Taon retained a bit more awareness and control this time.
Although he was tempted to close his eyes and bask in how close he had come to the Great Prophet, he knew he had a job to do. The crisis still needed to be dealt with especially when the loss of suppression from the Transcendent Punishers allowed the flesh torpedoes to press closer to the expeditionary fleet!
Since time was of the essence, Taon tried to urge the battle formation to display its power as quickly as possible!
“Guide us, prophet. Tell us where to aim.”
The Transcendent Punishers kept adjusting their angles as they aimed at different sections of the distant Titania.
Although it seemed as if the entire astral beast was an enormous dam that could take a lot of punishment without crumbling, no creature or object was perfect.
The Titania had already incurred a lot of damage beforehand and the measures it took to repair its damaged exterior wasn’t perfect.
What the Eye of Ylvaine sought was the best weak point to concentrate everyone’s attack. The Larkinsons had to know in which direction they had to attack in order to destroy the Titania’s most crucial internal organs. Not all parts of the astral beasts were essential to its survival. If the Larkinsons could blow up the brain of the massive creature in a concentrated attack, then they would be able to end the threat in an instant!
A lot was riding from this opening, but Commander Taon did not rush the battle formation too much. The ability to find just the right angle and coordinates to attack was a capability that was exclusive to Ylvaine. Every devout Ylvainan continued to pray to the Great Prophet for guidance.
They received it. In one single moment, each of them adjusted their cannons for the final time.
The Rod of Ylvaine also adjusted its angle even as it began to grow brighter and brighter.
For a single instance, the entire battlefield seemed to still.
“Fire.” Taon instructed.
Then, a bright flash exploded from the Larkinson fleet and surged towards the Titania within an instant!
In fact, the gauss cannons of the Transcendent Punishers fired a fraction sooner than the positron cannons. This allowed the physical projectiles to gain a head start so that they would strike the target at the same time the positron beams also landed.
The effect was amazing. The extreme burst of damage inflicted on a position that was a bit to the rear of the body of the Titania quickly overwhelmed the local defenses!
Not only was the aim of all of the Transcendent Punishers so exquisitely precise, but their damage output all arrived in just the right timing to drill a deep hole in the great beast’s side!
The Ylvainan mech pilots all pulled out of the battle network as their minds all grew weary. Though they were still able to make sure their Transcendent Punishers kept firing at a large and stationary target like the Titania, they were unable to do anything intensive for the time being!
Commander Taon looked towards the Swordmaidens, who had already gone ahead of the rest.
“It’s your turn now.”
The Swordmaidens exclusively piloted melee mechs, but that did not stop the brave and battle.hardened elites from closing in on the astral beast!
Once they received their orders, they accelerated their mechs forward but made sure to avoid intersecting with the flesh torpedoes.
While it was definitely useful to destroy the offspring of the Titania, it was better to cut them all off at the source!
Lust like the Eye of Ylvaine’s battle network, the Swordmaiden battle network began by aligning the minds of the Swordsmaiden mech pilots togethers.
The difference here was that the nexus of the battle network was not a design spirit. Instead, Venerable Dise took over that role! Ever since Ves had implanted her with her own companion spirit, Respa had been quietly growing in her mind.
Though Respa was not as strong and flexible as Sharpie, it excelled at one specific job.
Facilitating a battle formation.
With Respa’s existence, Venerable Dise did not have to do a lot to support the battle network. She only needed to condense the minds of every Swordmaiden and use that to fuel her next resonance.empowered attack.
“Come on, you big beast!” She taunted at the Titania even as the Swordmaiden battle formation closed in on her recently.damaged side. “Hunting beasts is my pastime. After this battle, you will become the greatest prey in my hunting record!”
The thought of slaying such a huge and powerful beast aroused her savage desires. She imagined that she was back in one of the hunts that she used to do as a hobby.
It had been so long ago that she had been so carefree. The Decapitator held by her expert mech hummed as if it yearned to spill the Titania’s grayish blood!
As much as Venerable Dise wanted to stay true to the Decapitator’s name, she knew it was unrealistic to behead the gigantic astral beast. She couldn’t even identify its head!
“It doesn’t matter. The Ylvainans have already pointed out the way!”
She prepared one of her own sword techniques. It was a lot different to do so when she was connected with so many fellow Swordmaiden mech pilots.
As their mechs rapidly closed in on the Titania’s massive body, the illusionary greatsword hovering above the Swordmaiden battle formation glowed before launched forward in a powerful thrust!
The tip of the giant energy manifestation sank straight through the Titania’s already injured wound.
This time, the sword sank deep! The enormous blade made out of unknown energy continued to part through hard and tough alien flesh until the crossguard almost collided against the Titania’s surface!
“Wow!”
“That sword went deeper than any of our attacks!”
Even as everyone admired the handiwork of Venerable Dise and the Swordmaidens, the Penitent Sisters and the Glory Seekers were almost ready to unleash the coup de grace.
Two different formations approached the Titania at the same time! Even though they moved separately, they all consisted of Valkyrie mechs!
“The Superior Mother shall purge the wicked!”
What was even more remarkable about the two formations was that each of them were led by different expert mechs!
The Everchanger led the Penitent Sisters while the Star Dancer Mark II led the Glory Seekers!
Both expert mechs would be showing off what they could do as part of their respective battle formations for the first time since they were created!
