Ketis experienced an unexpected setback in her plan to guard against any hostile intent from the Heavensword.
She did not expect that the RA was so desperate to reinforce the contested star systems in the Upper Zones that it had compelled many second-class ace pilots to leave the second-class ch forces that they fought alongside with for many years.
If second-class ace pilots of this caliber possessed the power and the resources to pilot first-class ace chs, yet refused to do so, it was usually because they were committed to defending their comrades.
This was an expression of true loyalty.
It was normally difficult for the chers or other groups to persuade these stubborn and emotionally committed saints to leave their comrades and fight for a different cause.
Yet this ti the RA succeeded.
The Red War had taken such a dire turn that the survival of red humanity ca under increasing doubt.
Even if the saints were able to protect their comrades and loved ones on an individual battlefield, their victories beca aningless if the rest of human civilization was falling apart around them! The importance of defending the race and civilization that sheltered every red human surpassed the importance of more selfish goals!
As such, the RA's call to arms successfully persuaded a lot of second-class ace pilots to finally make the jump even if it ant that they could no longer fight alongside their familiar comrades.
The good news was that enough ace pilots, most of whom had managed to break through relatively recently, had decided to stay behind and watch over the second-class ch forces.
It was still sad to see so many other dependable champions depart.
While Ketis ultimately believed that the Red Association's desperation asure would ultimately benefit everyone, it did not help her case at the mont.
How could she protect against the Heavensword or at least deter it from making any shady moves?
Should she think about turning to the regional branch of the Red Association for help? That did not appeal to her. If the chers were able to suppress the Heavensword, then they would feel tempted to capture the priceless grand work and claim it for themselves!
That was not what Ketis wanted!
She did not regard the Heavensword as an actual enemy. She rely worried about whether it would force changes upon herself.
Conflict should be avoided at all costs.
Although she would like to think the best of this ancient and revered sword relic, she could not help the feeling that her modern sensibilities may clash against the Heavensword's ancient values.
Ketis turned to another ace pilot.
"Patriarch Reginald? Now that the 77th Warborn ch Division has been assigned to defend the Viola Magnifica System, you can lend a hand to us as well. Are you willing to cooperate?"
It initially ca as a surprise to both the expeditionary fleet and the 77th Warborn that the two would converge in the sa star system.
Ever since he founded the Warborn, General Ark Larkinson always tried his best to maintain a separation between his troops and the troops of the expeditionary fleet.
It would be much harder for him to establish his authority if the mbers of the Warborn repeatedly looked up to the notable individuals of the legendary expeditionary fleet.
A few years had gone by since then. Ark had already cented his control over the Warborn. The strategists also forced him to take his ch division to Viola Magnifica due to being the single most important port system of the 4th defensive band in the Torald Middle Zone.
Although the arrival of the Warborn in Viola Magnifica initially led to a little friction between the two forces, they soon managed to get along fine, though not to the extent. that the two could seamlessly cooperate with each other.
"I hate to say it to you, but my situation is similar to the others. The vigorous ace pilot and clan leader gruffly spoke. "I would have stayed and guarded your back if I could. You are one of the few ch designers in this dwarf galaxy that possesses the guts and courage of a warrior. would be a sha if anything happened to you. You should be able to call for other help. Master Benedict has been planning the upgrade of my Mars for a long ti, so there is no excuse for any delays."
"I see." Ketis said as she tried to think of other nas to call upon.
Should she request assistance from the RA or RC?"
"I was not done yet." Reginald spoke. "My deputy, Saint Linda Cross, will still remain with the expeditionary fleet. I can tell her to watch over you when it is necessary."
That was good news!
The Larkinson Clan was not the only mber of the Golden Skull Alliance that had gained new ace pilots.
The Cross Clan had finally produced its second ace pilot after its patriarch by
witnessing the breakthrough of Linda Cross!
With her upgraded ace space knight, the Amphis Extremis was able to block and mitigate damage to an ever greater extent than the current iteration of the Larkinson
Clan's Bastion!
Everyone turned to one of the more recent saints who had proven her valor in combat many tis over during the Red Tide Offensive.
Linda Cross used to be one of the expert pilots of the original Cross Clan. She survived the retreat from the Garlen Empire in the old galaxy and accompanied the reford Cross Clan into the new frontier and helped to win the battles that allowed it to rise to prosperity.
In the present ti, she was just beginning to get her bearings as an ace pilot with her recently upgraded Amphis Extremis.
The quasi-first-class ace space knight possessed a balanced configuration, allowing it to perform well in both a defensive and offensive capacity.
While its armor system did not have the bulk to rival the much more impressive defenses of heavy space knights, the Amphis Extremis nonetheless tried to compensate for this by possessing a much more powerful custom azure shield generator. The SA-DIX Azure Shield Generator was one of the strong points of the Amphis Extremis. The ace ch was able to supply an abundant amount of electric energy to it. The SA-DIX also possessed a high phasewater content and was enriched with high-grade hyper materials that were difficult to obtain through regular channels. What truly enabled it to stand out was the integration of resonating exotics. Saint Linda Cross was able to infuse a large proportion of true resonance into the SA-DIX to increase its ability to withstand damage, which was particularly helpful when dueling against
enemy champions.
The Amphis Extremis was also able to channel true resonance into the SA-DIX to drastically expand the radius of its azure energy shield. This allowed it to shield a troop of chs or the side of a friendly starship from incoming damage.
However, the SA-DIX was largely optimized for offensive operations, so this feature was not as strong as it could have been. It was unrealistic for the SA-DIX to be able to resist repeated salvos of warship-grade cannon fire before reaching its limit.
Even so, Saint Linda Cross was still able to resist a huge amount of punishnt for a limited amount of ti, which was usually enough to escort friendlies to safety. Her Amphis Extremis therefore split its ti on defensive and offensive missions. It would be great if the Amphis Extremis could approach an enemy phase lord and lock the alien monstrosity in combat, but the alien leaders were usually too cunning to get
caught so easily.
The ace space knight was also not suitable to confront enemies that were too powerful
by itself.
Saint Linda still had a lot of room for growth, though.
Master Benedict Cortez had designed an excellent ace ch for her, but the junior ace pilot needed at least a few years to acclimate to her new abilities and grow her resonance strength to a more respectable level.
While Saint Linda and her Amphis Extremis were not as oppressive on the battlefield as the Mars, the combination was at least a lot better in a defensive capacity. The Amphis Extremis should be able to shield and protect Ketis if the Heavensword
turned into a physical hazard.
The female ace pilot directed a friendly smile towards Ketis. "You shall have my protection when the ti has co. I can make no guarantees as I do not understand the mysterious powers of this weapon, so make sure that you do not solely rely on my
defenses."
"Thank you, Saint Linda. I still remain hopeful that I am being overly paranoid. If the Heavensword agrees to respect my right to choose my own decisions, then it should not pose any threat. Your help will ultimately not be necessary. I rely want to guard against the possibility that it will force to beco its next Heavensword Saint." The more Ketis thought about the relic weapon's habit of transforming any swordmaster into an ace pilot that had beco completely dependent on the extraordinary weapon,
the more frightened she beca.
Would it employ the sa thod to establish a foothold in human society?
It was questionable whether Ketis could resist this transformation. Prior swordmasters had all volunteered to beco the next Heavensword Saint. They
put up no resistance at all and willingly abandoned their old swordsmanship for the one imposed by the most powerful sword they knew. They also gained the right and responsibility to rule over an entire second-rate state.
Ketis had no desire to beco a similar figurehead, so it beca necessary for her to
plan for the worst.
Saint Linda's assistance combined with the help of other available Larkinson expert
pilots may barely be sufficient to put up a strong united front against the Heavensword. Now that Ketis and the ace pilots of the expeditionary fleet gained an understanding, they began to chat about other topics during this virtual eting.
"It will ultimately be good for ace pilots such as us to separate from the expeditionary
fleet." Patriarch Reginald said. "The native aliens don't value the battlefields of the middle and lower zones all that much, so they always assign the more shaless and cowardly phase lords to these war theaters. They are not necessarily weak, but... it is becoming increasingly more difficult to force them into an honest fight. It is not without reason that the chers want to move us. There are too many ace pilots in this star
system that we aren't giving the rank and file enough of a challenge anymore to feel
desperate and break through. Maybe that is why the rate of breakthroughs have
stagnated during the ongoing offensive."
That may very well be true!
There was a point in which the continued protection of an ace pilot ultimately did more
harm than good.
The mbers of the Golden Skull Alliance looked up to their established champions and protectors, so much so that they beca too dependent.
As long as the enemy was unlikely to divert a lot of troops or strong phase lords to the
current battleground, it was fine for the regular troops to fight without so many of their powerful saints watching over their heads.
Only ch pilots who were willing to brave dangers without the expectation that they would be saved by others possessed the qualifications to break through.
Ketis knew that this may be one of the reasons why her husband Joshua continued to remain stuck at his current bottleneck.
It would ultimately be better for his developnt if he had to shoulder greater burdens.
Other Larkinson expert pilots were in the sa position. When Ketis thought of the dramatic events that took place during the fight against the Emperor Tree, she knew that Joshua and his peers had not yet exhausted their potential. They just needed a powerful enough opportunity to trigger their second apotheosis.
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