The plan was set.
The Larkinsons, Glory Seekers and Crossers quickly ca to a consensus. The greatest priority was to contain and eliminate the enemy expert chs.
It didn't matter if the Fridayn, Praetors and Planats adopted a different strategy.
With 5 expert chs and around 4100 standard chs, the Glory Seekers and Crossers would definitely succeed in forcing all 11 enemy expert chs away from the main body!
Ves actually didn't expect the Glory Seekers and Crossers to resolve the enemy expert chs quickly.
Expert chs were truly monsters on the battlefield, and their battle effectiveness couldn't be judged according to normal standards. Their vastly superior performance granted them a lot of agency in any battle.
Whenever expert chs enjoyed an absolute advantage, then they would leverage their destructive firepower to the fullest in order to defeat as many enemies as possible!
When a swarm of standard chs besieged the expert chs, the latter could switch to adopting hit-and-run tactics. As long as the expert chs tried their best not to get hit, they could easily whittle down their pursuers over ti.
The general saying that 1 expert ch was capable of defeating 100 standard chs was an oversimplification. The common saying only truly applied if both sides fought each other head-on! In practice, expert pilots rarely exposed their expert chs to needless danger.
Therefore, even if the Glory Seekers and the Crossers vastly outnumbered and outgunned all 11 enemy expert chs, there was still a possibility that the latter might co out on top!
"Such cases have happened in the past." Major Verle spoke to Ves after the eting. "Ordinarily, we shouldn't worry too much, but there is one variable that puts everything in a different light."
"Unit L." Ves ntioned.
"Exactly, sir. The Charlemagne and the Scarra can either be utilized to eliminate opposing expert chs quickly or be used to massacre hundreds of standard chs in a short amount of ti. The task of confronting the enemy expert chs is not a light one. The only chance our allies can co out on top is to direct as much incoming firepower at their standard chs as possible."
In the end, the Glory Seekers and Crossers could not avoid the fate of becoming cannon fodder either.
While Ves idly cradled Lucky's black-clad form, he put his mind away from this side of the upcoming battle. It was not his responsibility to worry about the enemy expert chs. He and his Larkinsons assud primary responsibility of blocking the way of 6000 enemy chs.
The good news was that the 4300 chs of the Larkinsons gained the support of 700 chs of the Glory Seekers and 1000 chs of the Cross Clan.
That amounted to 6000 chs in total, which ensured they maintained nurical parity, at least at the start.
What was interesting was that so of the Glory Seeker and Crosser chs consisted of heavy artillery chs. The two allies basically loaned all of their bunker chs to the Larkinsons. They also promised to coordinate the movents of their combat vessels to facilitate a defensive strategy.
This made a fair amount of sense. It was too dangerous to expose their starships against the enemy expert chs. As long as just one extraordinary ch got close, they only needed less than a minute to take down a sub-capital starship!
It was much better to square off the defenses of the combat carriers against the standard chs of the enemy. As long as they were being rotated, none of them should suffer any crippling damage, at least for a ti.
Ves left the remainder of the battle planning to the professionals. Instead, he continued to tinker around a bit in his personal workshop. At the sa ti, he formulated the thods he could employ to give his forces an edge.
He first dismissed all of the illegal options. While it was possible for him and his production crews to fabricate so nukes or other controversial weapons, he did not wish to fall out with the Big Two.
He had to strengthen his forces in other ways. Fortunately, he still had plenty of options.
"Right now, the Valkyrie Redeers, Transcendent Punishers and pri chs are already enhanced to at least 25 Ves, which is a good starting point but not the limit."
By default, every LMC ch in the Larkinson Clan was spiritually enhanced right after they were fabricated. This was sothing that he personally arranged. So chs featured 50 Ves or more, but not enough.
"The Superior Mother has plenty of energy to spare." He muttered. "I should abuse that fact and fill up the chs as much as their ch pilots can withstand."
Once he made up his mind, he instructed the Penitent Sisters to deploy their chs in space in order to prepare for sothing special.
If possible, Ves wanted to bring all 200 or so Valkyrie Redeers in the hands of the Penitent Sisters to the Spirit of Bentheim, but there wasn't space to accommodate so many machines at once.
"I can treat the Valkyrie Interceptors and Hurricanes of the Glory Seekers while I'm at it." He muttered.
He hadn't enhanced their chs because he did not wish to give them any advantages over the Larkinson Clan. Due to the current crisis, he couldn't be so petty anymore. He had to grasp every opportunity to strengthen his odds as possible.
There was another reason why he wanted to bring all of the Valkyrie chs in the expeditionary fleet together. Ves transmitted an order to Venerable Joshua to bring out his Valkyrie Pri too in order to complete the assembly.
After a bit of thought, Ves figured he might as well go all-out. He ordered a crew to bring out the statue of the Superior Mother from the Hexer shrine aboard the Spirit of Bentheim and drag it into space.
Once he boarded a shuttle that brought out of his flagship and stopped a couple of kiloters away, Ves checked the seals of Unending Regalia and looked at Lucky.
The cat's Misfortune Harness Mark III incorporated many upgrades from the previous version. It also possessed a smoother and more streamlined profile.
"You look quite good, but I feel like you're missing sothing."
"ow?" Lucky tilted his head.
"Ah, I get it now! You need a cape!"
"ow!"
"Oh co on, they're nice! They'll not only increase your stature, but also make you cuter!"
"ow ow ow!"
"Okay, okay!"
Ves temporarily shelved his plan to affix a cape on the Misfortune Harness and stepped outside the shuttle.
He erged out into open space. After a brief mont of disorientation, he quickly regained his bearings. His Unending Regalia was fully vacuum-sealed and possessed plenty of oxygen to keep him breathing.
He mounted a standard flight backpack module to the slot on the back of his custom-built suit. While he wasn't very proficient at controlling his flight, he managed to achieve a stable course towards the hundreds of Valkyrie chs that answered his summons.
Every single Valkyrie ch ford a giant wall with plenty room in between. They respectfully maintained their position in front of the statue of the Superior Mother that a couple of shuttles had brought.
The Penitent Sisters and Glory Seekers were both Hexer in origin. They both worshipped the Superior Mother. Now that they assembled in front of the origin of the Supre, every ch pilot fell silent.
The statue was just too special. After inexplicably being struck by lightning, it gained a special charm that Ves couldn't quite figure out. It happened to have an especially strong attraction to those who held the Superior Mother in their hearts.
While Ves floated forward until he stopped in front of the statue he made, Lucky used his own flight abilities to float around in a circle.
"Glory Seekers. Penitent Sisters. Venerable Joshua. Let be frank. Each of you bears a heavy responsibility in the upcoming battle. While planning is still ongoing, your chs shall constitute our main strike force against the elite ch units of our enemies. Do you know why? Because you are our sharpest spears on the battlefield!"
Every Hexer and ex-Hexer who listened to Ves over the communication channel felt proud at this. The Valkyrie Redeer and its variants achieved considerable success in the Komodo War, so the ch pilots had faith their role would not be small in the coming battle!
"As part of our most powerful offensive unit against the soldiers of the Friday Coalition and the Vicious Mountainers, it is your responsibility to strike lethal blows against them. Every other ch and starship at our disposal will act as the anvil to your hamr. This is a glorious task, but also a heavy one. The enemy is well aware of the disruption that Valkyrie chs can induce. They will be on guard against your attack runs and prioritize their counterattacks on your machines."
"We are not afraid!" Venerable Joshua responded. His Valkyrie Pri proudly raised its spear. "We will attack until there is no enemy left standing!"
"For the Superior Mother!"
The other Valkyrie chs raised their spears as well!
Ves was surprised at how many of them followed suit. While Venerable Joshua managed to earn the respect of all of the Penitent Sister ch pilots, the Glory Seekers should have been more reticent.
However, it seed they received orders beforehand. It could also be that the ch pilots assigned to the Valkyrie Interceptors and Hurricanes had already received extensive influencing from their machines.
In any case, their obedience made things easier for Ves.
"Your confidence inspires , but confidence alone is not enough to vanquish our foes." Ves gestured to the statue. "In order to give you the advantages you need to defend our fleet, I will beseech the Superior Mother to grant you and your chs an additional blessing!"
The Hexer ch pilots reacted ecstatically at his announcent! Even if they had no idea what form this blessing would take, they all believed that the Superior Mother's 'son' had the ability to channel her power!
Ves did not delay any further. He still needed to prepare a lot of other special asures.
He concentrated his mind and began to connect to the Superior Mother. He began to issue so instructions to the ancestral spirit.
It was much easier for her to extend her presence around the statue that birthed her. With so many Valkyrie chs gathered together, there was no way for her to miss them all. The Hexer ch pilots all held their breath as they felt the statue co to life.
With the help of Ves, the Superior Mother started to channel her spiritual power to every Valkyrie ch barring the Valkyrie Pri.
The ch pilots felt as if their machines were changing before their eyes as so part of them beca greater than before. This must be the blessing that Ves had promised!
This was the first ti that Ves employed spiritual foundation enhancent on so many chs at a ti. He unilaterally commanded the Superior Mother to saturate every Valkyrie ch up to 75 Ves.
While he could have taken a more fine-grained approach, he didn't have the ti to do so. 75 Ves was the most that ordinary ch pilots could bear as long as the ch wasn't hostile to them. If a couple of ch pilots happened to beco disabled due to incompatibility, then that was a risk that Ves was willing to accept.
Fortunately, none of the ch pilots showed any alarming signs. While he beca aware that many Glory Seekers began to feel so discomfort, this was rely because the transition from 0 Ves to 75 Ves was too abrupt.
This was why he perford this blessing ceremony first. He had to give the Glory Seekers enough ti to adjust to their enhanced chs.
Ves wasn't sure whether any of the ch pilots gathered here would break through during the battle. Enhancing their chs increased the odds of this happening, but he did not hold out his hopes.
The Superior Mother channeled an enormous amount of spiritual energy at a ti. Ves was quite impressed at her generosity.
"Are you happy with your blessing?" Ves smiled. "Well, don't leave yet, because there's more!"
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