...
While Kleyer and Arkane were talking, Qin Mo had already led the Imperial Guard and ten regiments of soldiers, teleporting just outside the fortress beneath the glacier.
The fortress sentries, still on patrol, were startled by the sudden appearance of a large army surrounding the fortress. Alarms blared immediately.
The sharp wails of the sirens echoed through the subterranean chambers beneath the glacier as the defenders swiftly assumed defensive positions. These soldiers, brought to the fortress by Arkane, were partly from the Hive World and mostly from Talon II, but they shared one thing in common—they were elite forces.
Despite the army launching an attack mere seconds after teleporting, within half an hour, the defenders had fully mobilized, operating the fortress's heavy weapons in retaliation.
Qin Mo stood in the northern sector, surveying the scene carefully.
The vast underground space beneath the glacier had been reinforced with metal centuries ago. An anti-seismic layer was built to absorb impact, protecting the ice above. Despite the deafening roar of artillery fire, there was no danger of the glacier cracking.
The fortress, shaped like a bastion, had gates only in the north and south.
Qin Mo's forces were relentlessly assaulting both gates. The infantry, unable to find cover, advanced behind tanks and gravity shields, which thankfully could withstand the knights' attacks, offering solid protection.
The Imperial Guard had already spread out across the battlefield, using jetpacks to leap into the fortress, destroying one enemy gunpoint after another amidst the fierce resistance.
The only one remaining at Qin Mo's side was Yorn.
Most of the fortress's forces had been drawn away by the external assault, leaving the interior defenses scattered and sparse.
Qin Mo was satisfied with this. He needed the regular troops to distract the enemy's forces while he and Yorn focused on the real target—the loathsome presence at the fortress's core, without the interference of masses of enemies.
Qin Mo could sense not only the presence's location but its overwhelming power, far surpassing the corrupted Duskscar he had faced before.
"There's new intel," Kleyer's image appeared on the lower part of Qin Mo's HUD, continuing to report, "Two knights from the resistance just emerged from the sewers and joined my regiment. After the battle, they've requested to assist in the current operation. I've patched them into comms."
Two new faces appeared in Qin Mo's HUD: a woman with short, efficient hair and a middle-aged man with a rugged beard. Both were ready to pilot their knights.
"The knights of the Lannis family stand ready for your orders," the bearded man saluted Qin Mo with a sharp eagle gesture, "Governor."
"I need you to wear teleportation shielding and prepare to be sent to the battlefield," Qin Mo commanded.
Kleyer nodded, picking up his comm device to issue the order, "Equip them with teleportation shielding."
The knights' squires carefully fitted their masters with the shielding devices while Kleyer's soldiers handed them the necessary gear. Once the knights had boarded their mechs and reported they were ready, the teleportation sequence began.
As with the previous teleportation of the army, the main AI calculated the coordinates beneath the glacier and ensured each soldier's position was identified and avoided during the process.
With the teleportation energy nearly depleted, the two knights were sent to the north and south gates of the fortress.
The knight that appeared before Qin Mo was a crimson titan, its right shoulder bearing a shield-shaped heraldic crest, which also housed its ion shield.
The knight's weaponry consisted only of a chainsword and gauntlet, with its missile launcher compartments lying empty atop.
The crimson knight emerged in a kneeling position, its pilot reciting a silent prayer, and when the teleportation completed, the machine roared to life, rising to its full height.
Qin Mo watched as the female pilot glanced around, her knight's head mimicking her movements before she spotted him.
"Donna of the Red Rose, entering the fray!" she declared, charging the knight toward the fortress.
The knight's appearance immediately drew the enemy's attention, and they opened fire, but all incoming attacks were intercepted by a golden energy arc—the ion shield at work.
The ion shield, a defensive field generator, projected a protective barrier in an arc, highly effective, though its limited coverage was a drawback.
However, in this battle, its limited range was sufficient. Under the protection of the ion shield, Donna's Red Rose surged toward the southern gate. With a sweep of her left arm, the knight's chainsword slashed through enemy lines on the walls, while her right-hand gauntlet easily punched through the thick gate.
"A Gallant Knight," Qin Mo remarked, recognizing the knight's class.
Gallant Knights carried no ranged weapons, relying solely on the classic loadout of chainsword and gauntlet.
But that didn't mean they were helpless against infantry. Mounted on their left shoulder was a heavy autocannon.
As Donna's knight tore through the southern gate, infantry swarmed the walls, launching heavy weapons and explosives in retaliation. Some were blocked by the ion shield, while the rest were absorbed by the knight's adamantine armor. In return, the autocannon on the knight's shoulder ripped through the attackers, leaving trails of blood and destruction.
"Grant me strength to resist the enemy's might, to still their cries!" Donna chanted a battle prayer, relentlessly hacking, pounding, and sawing through the southern gate.
"For the Emperor!" she roared, charging into the fortress interior, slaughtering enemies amidst a sea of infantry and tanks.
The assaulting forces at the southern gate followed, covering the rear of the Red Rose, battling alongside it in the fortress.
"You know," Qin Mo said, turning to Yorn with a touch of admiration, "having knights really does make a difference."
He had been planning to blast the southern gate open with lightning, but it seemed unnecessary now.
At the northern gate, the situation was equally favorable. The bearded veteran knight was more experienced, working in close coordination with regular forces, advancing methodically. Though his approach was slower than Donna's direct charge, it was far safer.
"Absolutely," Yorn nodded in full agreement.