Chapter 215: Dust Planet

“Hostiles incoming! Twenty-two in total!”

“I and Hiro will go to the front. Support us.”

“Aye, aye, ma’am!”

“Alright, let’s go. C’mon now.”

“Ah, goddammit!”

I jumped out into the battlefield while following after Lt. Col. Serena, who pulled out the longsword from her waist sheath and brandished it.

My hands were already gripping my two personal swords. These weren’t just simple steel swords of course. They were reinforced mono-molecular vibro-blades. They looked like low-tech weapons but they would probably be able to compete in sharpness with the lights*bers used by J*di knights.

“I’ll take the left side.”

“Yeah, yeah!”

Lt. Col. Serena plunged toward the enemy group’s left-wing while I plunged to the right. Our opponents looked like grotesque humanoid creatures with exposed dark-red muscle tissues. They sported a familiar rocky carapace on their hands and feet and looked like real twisted abominations.

“Ugh!”

Three of them lunged at me at the same time.

They weren’t coordinated at all and just rushed at me haphazardly, but they were still troublesome since they moved weirdly even though they were humanoid in appearance.

The one in the lead sprung at me like an arrow by using its entire body as a spring while brandishing its armored claws. I evaded to the side and used the sword I held on my right hand in order to cut it in two. The second one used its right hand like a whip and swung it at me. I sent its attacking arm flying by cutting it down with the sword on my left hand. I then evaded the third one’s charge and used both swords to cut it into three parts.

Then, using the window of time earned by me and Lt. Col. Serena, the marines got into position and used their laser rifles and launchers to finish the monsters (Tentative Name: Twisted) off. I thrust the sword I held on my left hand on the ground and pulled out my laser gun from my leg holster in order to shoot at them as well. Of course, I set the power output to the maximum.

“Tsk!”

I clicked my tongue when one of the Twisteds managed to slip out of the laser barrage. I fended it off with the sword held on my right hand and continuously shot its defenseless back with my laser gun. Man, you really can’t let your guard down against these things.

“Casualty report!”

“A-Team, no casualties!”

“B-Team, no casualties!”

“C-Team, also no casualties ma’am!”

It looks like we managed to get through the attack without suffering any casualties. I put the swords and laser gun back in their respective scabbards and holster and let out a soft sigh under my mask.

“Lt. Col., don’t you think it’s a bit dangerous to proceed further like this?”

“At this level, there shouldn’t be any problems yet. We’re getting adequate support after all.”

After sheathing her sword back inside its scabbard, Lt. Col. Serena looked up at the sky.

The dust flying around due to the strong winds made it impossible to check the sky out with the naked eye, but the HUD of my universal mask displayed Krishna hovering around above alongside the other imperial combat ships. These small-class combat ships along with Krishna fired lasers intermittently ahead of our position, producing dazzling lights and explosions each time as a result.

“I guess you’re right…… But you sure are strong, Lt. Serena.”

There were six Twisteds lying around behind Lt. Col. Serena. Each of them were cut cleanly in half. In other words, she cut down twice as many as I did in that short span of time. It provided a glimpse of just how high Lt. Co. Serena’s skill with a sword was.

“Our styles are fundamentally different. My sword is one that pushes forward and cuts down all in its path. Yours is a sword that lies in wait and reaps the lives of those that dare go against it.”

After saying so, Lt. Col. Serena checked me out from head to toe.

“I can’t predict just who between us would actually survive if we did fight it out. I don’t believe I’ll be pushed back in a one-sided manner, but I also can’t visualize a method to take you down as well.”

“You’re getting a little too heated up there, LT. I definitely don’t wanna engage you in a swordfight.”

I mean c’mon guys. This was a woman who just bisected six Twisteds within seconds. I definitely don’t wanna be on the receiving end of her sword. I’ll run away without a second thought if that ever happens.

“However, these Twisteds…… They’re quite similar huh.”

“Yes. I’ll have a professional team analyze some samples later, but judging from their appearances alone, they truly are quite similar to the aggressive lifeforms we fought back then. These armored limbs are a good example.”

After saying so, Lt. Col. Serena lightly kicked the section of a severed Twisted arm enveloped in rocky armor repeatedly. This rocky section looked fairly tough. Heck, it actually seems it could even fend off laser rifle shots depending on the angle of the hit. But, of course, they were nothing against the sharpness of my and Lt. Col. Serena’s swords.

“In any case, can’t we search with a method that’s a bit safer?”

“That would be difficult. Even a military RV would be in trouble if it gets swarmed by these things.”

There weren’t just heavy-armored and power armor toting marines behind us. There were also marines driving High-Mobility Reconnaissance Vehicles (RVs) too. An RV is a vehicle with armor and firepower equal to or higher than power armor, and its overall mobility surpasses that of infantry and power armor-equipped soldiers. But it would be in a bad spot if it gets swarmed by a large number of Twisteds. Twelve members of the advanced recon team we sent away earlier along with three RVs already became casualties and we promptly abandoned the idea of an RV-led recon team after that.

“It hurts that the sensors of the small-class ships aren’t effective here……”

The dust flying around due to the strong winds contained metallic particles that were byproducts of the terraforming machines, and they made our situation even more difficult because they interfered with ship sensor readings.

Krishna certainly did mark the landing point of the suppression ship earlier, but due to the influence of the metallic dust storm, it seems the position got skewed.

Due to that, we’re currently braving this massive dust storm and advancing slowly as we looked for the suppression ship while constantly having to look out for the harassment of those Twisted creatures. Hahaha… Dammit.

“But if there are this many Twisted lurking around here, then maybe that, uh, corrupt noble or something is dead already?”

We managed to repel the Twisted attacks all this time due to generous air support, tough equipment, and ample firepower. But those escapees definitely don’t have those advantages. If they were swarmed by these Twisteds, then I’m sure they would be torn apart in no time.

“It’s annoying, but we have to bring back Geritz’ corpse if that’s the case, or at least part of it. It would serve as solid proof that Geritz was colluding with the pirates in Comatt system.”

Lt. Col. Serena shrugged her shoulders and stopped kicking the severed Twisted’s arm.

“And he might actually be safe if he’s locked himself inside his suppression ship. Moreover, if these Twisteds and the lifeforms we fought on Comatt III really are related, there’s a possibility that Geritz has a way of controlling them. If that really is the case then we have to prepare countermeasures.”

“That’s certainly true. If that’s the case, they won’t have any reservations hiding out on Comatt III or here on Comatt IV.”

“That’s how it is. Well then, it looks like the troop’s preparations are all finished. Let’s move on.”

“Aye, aye, ma’am.”

The imperial marines continued their advance on the surface of the dust planet under Lt. Col. Serena’s lead. I followed after them as well and walked right behind Lt. Col. Serena.