Chapter 339

Chapter 339. Time Attack.

While chatting with Jessica, our forces had already reached the bridge, the command center of the ship.

And right in front of it, there was no need to even switch to combat mode.

Partia, dressed in her usual nun attire, was swinging a vicious chain-axe that didn’t match her modest appearance at all.

Perhaps it was because the bridge was one of the two most important places on the ship.

—

– “Why can’t we break through?! The Commander is watching us personally!”

– “All firepower is concentrated on the only passageway.”

– “Even the armored chimera created by Gryanarr is on the verge of being destroyed.”

—

The path to the bridge was wide but straightforward, with only one direct route.

Even that route was filled with thick bulkheads, turrets, and defensive troops waiting at every turn.

At the end, there was a heavily armed security turret with a powerful Beam Gatling and additional defensive troops.

And…

—

– “You insolent fools, dare to try and take this Ouroboros?!”

– “Oh.”

—

A superhuman, wearing a powered suit four times larger than the average soldier, boldly pointing at us…

No, even the Fleet Admiral of this fleet was here.

With such a formidable defense, our slow progress in capturing the area had completely stalled, and I couldn’t help but feel a surge of frustration.

But that was only temporary.

—

– “Ah, finally, that must be the destination the Savior desires.”

– *Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!*

– “Uwooooh!”

– “By the will of Savior Icarus, judgment shall befall you!”

– “Partia is charging, cover her!”

– “For Icarus! For the Savior!”

– “Ugh.”

—

Partia, who had been fighting gracefully until now, seemed to have her competitive spirit ignited upon spotting the Fleet Admiral, a superhuman.

She immediately transformed into her 3-meter-tall combat mode and began deflecting beams and bullets with her blade… No, she just tanked them and charged forward.

Of course, even Partia would struggle to block the anti-tank missiles and the Beam Gatling that followed…

—

– “When facing strength, one should not respond with strength but with natural softness…”

– “????”

—

She grabbed the first incoming anti-tank missiles not by their warheads but by their bodies, then spun them around in her hands and threw them back in the direction they came from.

Some were even used to intercept other missiles.

The Beam Gatling?

She deflected it all by spinning her chain-axe in circles.

Of course, the chain-axe melted into a gooey mess and turned into fragments as a result.

—

– “Hahaaa… Kneel before me!”

– “Hieeeek!”

– “M-monster!”

– “What kind of insane monster is this? Die, superhuman!”

—

Our Partia broke through the defense line, buying enough time to rip the Beam Gatling defense turret from the ceiling.

As all the defense systems failed to stop Partia, the Fleet Admiral in his powered suit wore a look of fierce determination.

—

– “Hmm, truly impressive… But with this suit, even you won’t escape unscathed!”

– “A fine resolve, Admiral.”

—

…Of course, determination alone isn’t enough in this world.

Just three minutes after Partia and the Admiral clashed…

—

– “Why won’t you die?!”

– “Faith, brat.”

– *Boom!!*

– “Agh… Ugh…”

– “Savior, the Admiral has been dealt with.”

– “…Hmm.”

—

Our Fleet Admiral, who had proudly worn his grand and glorious powered suit, saw it shattered by Partia.

He struggled to the end, only to have his face punched in, turning his teeth into shattered corn kernels.

But just as I was about to savor that sweet victory…

—

– “Kuhuhuhu, ugh, don’t think you’ve won just yet…!”

– “Hmm?”

– “If this hatch is breached, the ship’s Self-Destruct System will activate automatically!”

– “What.”

—

The Admiral, with his suit in ruins, boldly declared that he would self-destruct the Ouroboros I was after.

—

—————————————–

<Event>

<If I Can’t Have It, I’ll Turn It to Ashes!>

<Content>

<The Fleet Admiral of the Ouroboros-class ship has decided that he would rather end his life by self-destructing than let you take the Ouroboros.>

<Of course, if you manage to capture both the ‘bridge’ and the ‘engine room,’ the Admiral’s self-destruct order will be automatically canceled.>

<The Ouroboros-class self-destruct...>

Time remaining: 59 minutes 18 seconds.

“Ugh, this is so annoying.”

As soon as the run event message popped up, I felt a wave of frustration hit me. But first, I ordered Partia to take over the bridge.

Then, I commanded the troops who were securing the ship’s interior to immediately capture the ‘Engine Room’ and stop the damn self-destruct sequence.

But here’s the serious problem: since the admiral himself came out to fight, I thought the bridge would be right after this point. However, there’s an additional defense line before the bridge.

At least Partia is here, so breaking through shouldn’t be an issue. The problem is that Partia is ‘absolutely’ needed to break through to the bridge.

After breaking through the bridge’s defense line and securing the interior, Partia would have to go back to the Engine Room to capture it… Time is just too tight.

“This is messed up, really messed up.”

To stop the self-destruct, both the bridge and the Engine Room need to be secured, but in this situation, that’s impossible.

With less than an hour left, all I could do was pray that my superhuman soldiers would somehow break through the defense line.

==========

But about 30 minutes later…

Partia successfully slaughtered the bridge’s command and quickly took control, but…

“The defense line is too strong!”

“Damn it, they’re using walkers inside the ship.”

“Ughhhhhh.”

The situation was worse than expected, and I could feel my anxiety growing by the minute.

At least Partia, after securing the bridge, immediately rushed towards the Engine Room in combat mode.

But with the complex interior structure and the time-consuming task of breaking through sealed bulkheads…

I thought, “If this keeps up, stopping the self-destruct will be impossible.” So, just in case, I was about to order Jessica to prepare Partia and the internal troops for evacuation.

But right at that moment…

—————————————–

<Event-exclusive chat window>

-[Icarus]

-[How’s the Ouroboros capture going?]

-[I’ve dealt with the rest of the fleet, so I can send reinforcements now.] (Arcadia)

—————————————–

While I was focused on capturing the Ouroboros, Arcadia, who had finally wiped out the NPC fleet, sent a chat.

After a brief moment of hesitation, I decided to explain the situation clearly.

Upon hearing my explanation (the ship is about to self-destruct, and capturing the Engine Room is tough), Arcadia said:

—————————————–

<Event-exclusive chat window>

-[Then just mark the Engine Room’s location.]

-[I’ll send my superhumans there; they’re still in good shape.] (Arcadia)

-[Ah.] (Icarus)

—————————————–

She said it so calmly that for a moment, I thought, “Is she trying to claim ownership of the ship now?”

But as soon as that thought crossed my mind…

—————————————–

<Event-exclusive chat window>

-[The ship is yours.]

-[You’ve been grinding through the fleet with determination, right?]

-[Once the Engine Room is almost secured, your superhumans can handle the final capture.] (Arcadia)

—————————————–

“Ah… ah…”

Contrary to my nasty thoughts, her saintly response made me feel a bit ashamed.

Of course, I wasn’t in a position to dwell on that right now.

—————————————–

<Event-exclusive chat window>

-[Thank you… overwhelming thanks…!] (Icarus)

—————————————–

I expressed my gratitude to Arcadia and gratefully accepted her support.