NoveLight ™
"Are you saying the front line is moving?"
"For now, it seems that way."
What exactly is a front line?
If you look at it on a small scale, you could say it's a virtual line drawn over the areas where friendly and enemy forces are engaging, connecting various points to create that line. Alternatively, it could be a line that connects the locations of fortresses, outposts, and bases.
So, what does it mean for the front line itself to move? Some might say that one side is either in a position of advantage or disadvantage, and that one side launches an offensive, pushing the other side back along the same route they came from... but unfortunately, today wasn't one of those days.
The front line is moving. In other words, they were moving entire fortresses, barricade lines, outposts, and bases.
It almost felt like I was watching the Soviet Union in action.
Naturally, the team, including Harmony, Dice, and Kato, who had initially thought it was just one side being pushed back, were now wide-eyed, completely shocked.
However, I actually thought this was more realistic. If there were any living Artemis combatants left, it might be different, but at this point, they no longer had to build "human-friendly" structures. Maybe if it were the human-shaped Mecha Eugene, but not here.
They must have quickly eliminated the spaces that humans didn’t need. Since things like food, shelter, and the three basic needs weren't required, they likely only constructed spaces capable of housing essential combat items like ammunition or firearms.
By eliminating everything but the essentials for combat, they were likely able to construct an extremely efficient and slimmed-down defense line. That’s probably how it was possible.
"Moving barricades are probably a type of... equivalent to heavily armored infantry, if you think of it like a phalanx formation, you should get the idea."
"If outposts, bases, and fortresses are all like that... this is going to be very complicated. It's got more of a super-science feel than expected. Was this done so it could progress in real time like the Western US recovery campaign?"
"Well, maybe it’s not as complicated as you think."
"Huh?"
Complicated, huh.
I could understand why others would say that. Just eight months ago, if you asked anyone about Artemis, they would have probably just known it as a company making drones. But after Artemis became the central figure during the Unidentified Area Escape Mode, its status rose dramatically.
But that doesn’t mean Artemis evolved into something completely incapable of countering attacks as people might have imagined. The fact that they no longer needed to cater to human needs led them to pursue extreme efficiency, but that doesn't necessarily mean their combat power increased.
Once I explained that, everyone seemed to react like meerkats, their attention sharp and focused.
"Logically speaking, moving the entire front line would likely require the creation of special robots for that purpose. Fortresses, bases, outposts, barricades... no matter how slimmed down, they’d still weigh thousands of tons. It would make more sense to create combat robots rather than force combat functions into heavy machinery."
"So, does that mean we're going to be fighting UGVs, humanoids, and drones again like before?"
"Exactly."
And that wouldn’t last long.
Combat robots were essentially like hippos that consume rare metals.
No matter how much stuff there was in Savannah, it would eventually run out. They likely tore apart everything — buildings, vehicles, containers, ships, port cranes — and dumped it all into the Artemis factory. After enough destruction, they would eventually be the ones calling it quits.
How they managed to break down and reforge all the metals into robots wasn’t my concern, though.
How much time passed after that?
As I was talking, a sudden ominous feeling passed over me.
Unfortunately, my prediction was correct.
—KBOOM!
"Crazy!"
"The lead vehicle was hit! Get down!"
Suddenly, one of the transport armored vehicles ahead exploded with a massive roar, and the ground around it was soon covered by a red circle with a diameter of about 10 meters.
Shellfire rained down from the sky. I didn’t know the size of the shells, but honestly, that wasn’t what mattered. Fortunately, the Icarus Gear was superb, and it was displaying exactly where the shells would land and the blast radius.
Before the armored vehicle's hatch even opened, it was kicked open with a boom, and countless people scrambled out, followed by a small explosion. Unlike the earlier vehicles, they had about five seconds of leeway, so almost no one died.
After several more rounds of shellfire, an eerie silence settled in the area.
The ground was pocked with craters, and I crouched inside one, carefully observing the surroundings.
"The Ranger Regiment wouldn't pull a stunt like this without air support or firepower, but without those, this is what happens."
"Of all the places, we’re stuck in a flat area with no cover. Normally, we would’ve taken control of a small town about 400 meters ahead and started chipping away at the enemy, but Silver Wave has already reached the village..."
"Hmm."
Before long, the shelling stopped.
It was a decision that made no sense logically, but for some reason, I felt like I understood why it had happened.
I felt the vibration in the air from far off. A very fast aircraft was heading our way. The faint vibration I felt all over my body was likely the reason, and the briefing I had heard just a while ago made it clear what it was.
It would be here in about 10 seconds.
I immediately spoke up.
"Everyone in the vicinity, activate shields to maximum and get down! Do not look up."
"Huh?"
"After that, be aware that the Icarus Gear might stop working properly."
Fire support was nonexistent.
As expected, I had never thought we’d just send in operators on their own, but it was indeed that kind of situation.
How long had it been?
—BAM!
"Ugh...!"
"What the heck...!"
Two streaks of light crossed the sky.
One was a missile coming from the southwest, and the other was an intercepting railgun shot fired from Savannah. At that moment, I also ducked, and a massive flash erupted right above me. It was an antimatter missile delivered from northwest Florida.
The interaction of antimatter and matter caused annihilation, leading to gamma radiation, which triggered Compton scattering, and then a powerful electromagnetic pulse burst out. Along with that came intense heat, shockwaves, and wind.
What in the world was going on? That was the thought filling everyone’s mind except mine. But I knew that this was the perfect timing to head towards our intended target — Brooklyn.
As the aftershocks faded, I added, "The door’s open, so we should go. Let’s start."
"...Is this the 'Open Sesame' moment?"
"Well, if it’s antimatter the size of sesame seeds, I guess there’s nothing it can’t open."
I gave my friends a solid nudge, waking them up from their dazed expressions.
Now, it was time to put a dagger into Artemis's hand and take control of Brooklyn Town.
"Enemy armored vehicle! Hit the turret with the foam and spray oxidizer on the sides!"
"Turret installed and operational. I’ll continue the attack at overload for the next 60 seconds. If you stay there, you’ll get caught in the fire, so move fast."
"Bridgehead and field support posts are set up, and the range amplification is complete. The reserve ammunition will be replenished in 3 minutes—Ugh, don’t shoot the minigun above us!"
As day turned to night, the flashes of light continued to illuminate the city, no darkness could cover them.
The combined firepower of infantry skills and Artemis drones battling it out in urban warfare. Robots with steel barriers 3 meters tall moved forward along the cracked asphalt, relentlessly advancing despite the damage.
The moment the oxidizer and nanite chemicals hit the air, they shattered and melted into liquid, hammering the steel walls with relentless force.
From about 900 meters behind, the newly established forward base, Eugene checked the progress of battles happening at other points.
The red dots indicated enemies, while blue dots represented allies, and although the situation in Brooklyn seemed under control, other areas weren’t so smooth.
"At least we didn’t have to give orders to users... that would have felt like a war simulator."
Eugene checked the map and observed the ongoing battles elsewhere, where things were clearly more difficult. Brooklyn Town was one of the first areas to be targeted, which gave Eugene a clear view of the situation.
The south and north were still in flux, with both sides fighting for control of bridgeheads.
The battle intensity in Brooklyn was subsiding, but elsewhere, it was far from over.
Eugene, knowing Artemis was likely going to crush the weaker northern and southern areas before launching a full-scale encirclement, quickly moved his forces and activated the Icarus Gear to check the time.
"To break through this situation... we need a bold move."
"Huh?"
"We’ll need to bring all the explosives we can."
At the mention of explosives, the mood in the room split immediately. Most were confused, but a few faces lit up with understanding, knowing exactly what Eugene meant.
Then, another voice came through.
There was no response, but the person on the other end knew exactly what needed to be done.
A few seconds later, a small drone lifted off from the base. It flew at a low altitude, traveling at around 100 kilometers per hour, with a unique symbol on it: an antimatter cylinder was approaching.
"No way..."
"Minah, prepare to receive it. If it’s dropped or the seal breaks, we’re in big trouble. You know what that means, right?"
"Yeah, I know. It’s practically my life, maybe even more than that."
"No boxes? What a shame."
Eugene continued scanning the map. The mech units knew exactly what Artemis intended, and Eugene’s plan to crush the nearby network hubs resonated with them.
The map updated with precise enemy distribution, and Eugene didn’t need to wait long. The most heavily guarded area was now their target.
"Got the antimatter case. Ready to go right now."
"...But aren’t there only four of us? It seems like it would be impossible to go with just us. Shouldn’t we bring more or check things out more carefully?"
"True."
An awkward silence followed, but no one questioned Eugene’s plan. They all knew he had a reason for everything he said.
After a few seconds, Eugene added, "But the numbers are off. I called in one more person."
"...One more?"
"I don’t know if we should be judging by numbers..."
Then Eugene snapped his fingers.
The darkness in the corner of the room began to take shape, and everyone saw the figure emerge from the shadows.
It was Olivia.
"Didn't realize you’d miss the chance to do the mission yourself, huh? If we're starting, we better get moving."
"Yeah, we’ve met before, remember? You’ve been tracking us the whole time, and it looks like you've finally figured it out."
With a casual gesture, Olivia placed her arm on Kato’s shoulder. She silently pointed at the map Eugene had opened and began marking several points, forming a route through the air.
Soon, the lines were connected, and Olivia sent the data — or rather, the mission route — to everyone.
"Let’s head out as soon as we’re ready."
"Got it."
"Looks like you're nervous, but don’t worry."
And with that, she added one last thing.
"That’s why the U.S. spent so much money on this for the rookie."
Ah, right.
At that moment, everyone but Eugene and Olivia nodded in agreement.
The five users began moving through the darkness, heading toward their next objective: Brooklyn Town.