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None of the armed infantry were spared… but there were a few lucky ones, like the commanding officer who had abandoned his weapons.

He was unarmed, running down the pothole-ridden road, desperately searching for safety. Suddenly, the sound of shattering glass and the buzzing of the blade drone swarm filled the air. The dark swarm flew through buildings, crashing through windows as they zeroed in on the soldiers running below, out on the street.

"Arrrrhhh! Here they come!" "Run! Save yourselves!" The cries of the soldiers echoed throughout the block as they tried to escape—fighting, running, or hiding. But none were spared from the fate of being turned into minced meat.

As the swarm swept through the street, slaughtering every infantryman in its path, the commanding officer was moments away from meeting the same end. But then…

The swarm split into two, like the branches of a river diverging, then converging again after safely passing the unarmed infantry commander. He remained completely unharmed.

Realizing this, the commander waited until the last of the blade drones had passed, then quickly returned to his old station where he'd left his communication device.

It took about five minutes to reach his destination. The commander hastily picked up his communication device and broadcasted a message.

"To all soldiers, This is Colonel Thomas Ruthger, if you want to live, abandon your weapons. The swarm will avoid you if you're completely unarmed. I repeat, abandon all your weapons—the swarm will avoid unarmed soldiers…" He repeated the message several times before setting it to broadcast on repeat.

"I guess this is all I can do. Don't know how many will hear it," he muttered to himself before heading back down to street level to find a place to sit.

Ruthger had a theory about why the drones spared unarmed soldiers: it was likely a PR move by Astral Corp to avoid international condemnation and maintain the facade of a moral high ground. It was nothing more than a political maneuver.

As one of the higher-ranking officers in the Seraphine Isles, a supporter of the Junta that ruled with an iron fist, Ruthger had always resented the international community for imposing their moral standards and dictating what they should or shouldn't do.

But this time, he felt grateful to that same international community. Because of them, he had a chance to survive. Otherwise, he might have ended up as minced meat like the others.

Ruthger sighed, pulling out a cigarette with trembling hands. He lit it and took a deep drag, trying to calm his nerves.

"Haaaahhh… I hope as many of them survive as possible," he murmured as he exhaling the smoke, expressing a heartfelt wish for his comrades who were still fighting in this hellish battlefield.

— Artillery Camp —
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At the artillery camp where the self-propelled artillery vehicles were stationed, the commander stood pale, horror and denial mixed on his face as he listened to the radio signals from the infantry at the front line.

The first news he received was of the total annihilation of the tank battalions, followed by the destruction of the fighter and bomber squadrons. Then came the agonized screams and desperate cries for support from the infantry as they were torn apart by the blade drones.

Finally, the most devastating broadcast came from the campaign's prominent commander, Thomas Ruthger, who ordered all soldiers to lay down their arms and surrender. He set this message to repeat.

"This… this isn't happening! This isn't happening!" the artillery commander muttered in denial. As he looked around, he saw the pale faces of his soldiers, all staring at him, fearfully contemplating their fate. They knew that if those blade drones reached their camp, survival would be impossible.

Wheeeeez! Boom!

A high-pitched whistling sound cut through the air as an assault pod crashed into the middle of the camp, instantly killing an unlucky soldier who happened to be in its path. The hatch opened, revealing soldiers in power armor pointing their guns at the stunned camp troops.

The soldiers, frozen in place, didn't even raise their weapons; their morale was completely destroyed by the horrors they had heard from the front lines.

"Freeze! Lay down your arms!" commanded one of the power-armored soldiers.

As if under a spell, every soldier in the camp immediately dropped their weapons, not a single one resisting or being made an example of. This quick submission surprised the Astral Corp soldiers; they had expected a fight before subduing the Seraphin Isles troops.

The soldiers in the assault pod were there on Cao Cao's orders. Initially, Cao Cao intended to punish the Seraphin Isles forces for daring to invade. However, the overly effective counterattack launched by Nexus Prime left Cao Cao distressed instead.

No matter how brutal war is, there are usually survivors. But with the total wipeout of the enemy's tank battalion and aircraft, coupled with the near annihilation of the infantry, Cao Cao feared this would bring another round of headache to his lord, Daniel.

To avoid this, he sent his troops to capture some of the soldiers before Nexus Prime could wipe them all out.

Cao Cao knew the A.I. had some loose screws, so he decided it was better to be safe than sorry. Otherwise, Nexus Prime might have actually exterminated all the Seraphin Isles forces, leaving none alive.

This was, in fact, Nexus Prime's plan—had it not been for Daniel's prior instructions to spare the unarmed soldiers and Thomas Ruthger's luck, the Seraphin Isles infantry might have been completely wiped out.

It's not that Cao Cao had any mercy; in fact, he was eager to decimate all of Daniel's enemies. But as a loyal subordinate, he couldn't afford to create more headache for his lord than necessary. That's why he sent his troops to secure some prisoners.

— At the Seraphine Isles Forward Base HQ —

The sound of gunfire, explosions, and battle cries echoed as the fight raged on. Many assault pods lay on the ground, serving as ammunition hubs for the soldiers in power armor to return and refill their ammo.

Some of the assault pods didn't carry soldiers but were instead modified to deliver camping gear, rations, communication devices, and construction drones. These supplies were for setting up a forward base, as the communication devices and equipment of the Seraphine Isles were outdated and lacked the capability to connect to secure channels with HQ back in New Atlantis.

In one of the airport hallways, the fight intensified as the Seraphine Isles troops started using anti-tank rockets in the confined space, unafraid of the structural integrity that might collapse and bury them all. They fought like cornered rats.

Nicholas Sullivan, the war veteran, felt irritated by the slow pace of his soldiers in neutralizing the hostiles at the end of the hallway. He wanted to end this battle quickly, and at the end of this hallway was the key to ending the conflict.

In the room at the end of the hallway was Diego Carlos De Almeida. The moment that pig was apprehended, the battle would immediately end.

After waiting a few more minutes without any solid results, Nicholas rushed to the end of the hallway.

At that moment, an anti-tank rocket was fired at Nicholas. Given the hulking proportions of his power armor, it was impossible for him to dodge the attack.

Boom!

The anti-tank rocket hit Nicholas squarely, exploding as cheers erupted from the Seraphine Isles soldiers at the end of the hallway. Boosted by morale, they aimed to repeat the attack and kill at least two or three more Astral Corp soldiers.

But… what appeared before their eyes was the hulking black power armor of Nicholas. His suit didn't even have a mark after taking the anti-tank rocket directly to the chest. His armor was mixed with adamantium, making it nearly indestructible, and the horsepower within this hulking suit was powerful enough to win a tug-of-war with a heavy-duty truck.

"Kill him! Fire the next one!" The commanding officer panicked along with his soldiers, but it was too late. Nicholas Sullivan had reached them. He flanked their cover.

Boom!

With a shot from his super shotgun, all the Seraphine Isles soldiers behind the cover were turned into minced meat.

Nicholas signaled his soldiers to follow and clear the area. He then entered the command room where Diego was hiding.

Behind the door, Diego was cowering under a table, trying to make his large, obese body as small as possible. The women in the room were also terrified, huddled together in another corner.

Nicholas unhurriedly walked toward the table where Diego was hiding. No one in the room tried to stop him, knowing it would be useless.

Nicholas pointed the muzzle of his super shotgun at Diego's head, causing the latter to shudder as his pants became wet, the stench quickly filling the air.

"Diego Carlos de Almeida, do you want to live?" the war veteran asked.

Diego didn't answer with words; he only nodded repeatedly in desperate agreement.

"Then, tell all your forces to surrender," Nicholas demanded.