Counterfeit Hero

"Fuck your mother!" The platoon leader's eyes were red as he drove the battered [Brawler], seized from Abnosk Prison, head-to-head against the [Vajra] sweeping firepower from afar amidst the blazing artillery sky.

The [Vajra] clumsily dodged the two incoming energy bullets. The Mythical Soldier piloting it felt a bit embarrassed. Under normal circumstances, he could have easily evaded such energy bullets, then quickly advanced close and torn the [Brawler] apart with his powerful arms! However, after enduring the relentless blockade of the Freedom Front, he found himself feeling a bit fearful. The rigorous training of the Mythical Army and countless battlefield experiences seemed to vanish. These enemies standing before him didn't seem human at all. Only they could create such fiercely intense battles.

"How long has it been since I last felt such panic?" The [Vajra] sidestepped again, evading the [Brawler]'s rampant attacks. His confidence was returning. Although his movements were still a bit clumsy, the mechanical computer's targeting system had already locked onto the stationary [Brawler]. Its deep red energy shield couldn't withstand a single energy bullet from him!

The [Vajra] turned sideways and raised the energy cannon on its right forearm! It didn't notice the tiny figure next to it, dragging a severed leg and rolling out of a crater towards it.

"Boom!" A muffled explosion swept over the unsuspecting [Vajra]'s leg. In the violent explosion, the [Vajra] was flipped to the ground, almost simultaneously firing its energy bullet aimlessly skyward. The entire leg of the [Vajra] had turned into scattered fragments, and a large hole was blown into its abdomen!

"Ah!" The platoon leader roared hoarsely in anger! Tears blurred his vision for a moment. He screamed frantically, with his finger pressing down hard on the energy cannon trigger, turning blue from the strain. The energy cannon roared with a terrifying screech, all his rage, all his pain exploded at that moment from the energy cannon muzzle. Revenge! That was his only belief, his heart pained to a stop, allowing nothing else!

The [Brawler] charged forward, advancing under the heavy artillery fire, an almost suicidal tactic. The energy cannon unleashed on the [Vajra] not only could destroy the enemy, but the explosion could also destroy itself! However, the [Brawler] was like a frenzied dog with red eyes; it couldn't tolerate the short distance the energy cannon had to travel. It wanted to close that distance to zero, to vent all its anger directly onto the enemy! It charged forward irrationally, and the [Vajra] lying on the ground instantly turned into a blazing fireball, with the explosion shockwave from the energy chamber blast tossing the wildly charging [Brawler] out.

"Are you insane?!" A mechanical arm suddenly grabbed the fallen [Brawler], narrowly saving it from a landing energy bullet before throwing it back into the trench. Jiasier shouted angrily, "Do you want our brothers' blood to be wasted?!"

"Woo!" The platoon leader wailed! The one dragging a severed leg and rolling towards the enemy was his best friend!

"Boom! Boom!" Jiasier's voice was drowned out by successive explosions. Just after the enemy retreated, intense suppressive fire rained down on the positions again.

"Retreat!" Seeing that the first trench was almost deserted, Jiasier gritted his teeth and gave the order. Behind him, there were two more trenches. In these two trenches, fewer than eight hundred soldiers remained!

"Slap!" Osullivan, enraged and humiliated, landed a harsh slap on the face of the First Battalion leader. He couldn't believe that an assault by nearly four hundred [Vajra] mechas from an entire battalion had been repelled by just two thousand remnants from the Freedom Front! And not just once, but several times consecutively! Keep in mind, those on the high ground ahead were just two thousand thoroughly exhausted infantry without heavy weaponry or armor protection! The elite armored units of the Gazalin Empire had retreated in the face of such a force, even losing two whole platoons of mechas!

That was not what made Osullivan the angriest! What infuriated him the most was that he could clearly feel the Mythical Army was changing! A kind of vulnerable change!

Since the coup, they were no longer the invincible force named for their undefeatable myth, who charged bravely forward for the Empire's honor. The soldiers' beliefs were wavering, and they no longer had the steadfast resolve. They were no longer the kind of soldiers who could ruthlessly destroy every enemy in front of them, no longer the iron army ten times fiercer than the fiercest foe. When the desperate enemy bared their fangs, they no longer pounced forward viciously but turned around to retreat, exposing their weak spines! If not for the Mythical Army's rigorous training and rich combat experience, such failure would have been even worse!

This kind of change was what made Osullivan the most furious. His anger came from being utterly powerless to change the current situation. The present Mythical Army lacked an indefinable essence. Despite having the Gazalin Empire's most advanced weapons, the best skills, and the strictest training, they could only be considered a mediocre elite force!

Facing the numb and silent First Battalion leader before him, Osullivan gathered his strength and said sternly, "The Mythical Army does not tolerate failure. Before the Legion Commander arrives, this is your last chance. This time, you must hold that high ground no matter what, even if you are the last man standing!" He sighed inwardly, continuing, "Go, I'll have the Second Battalion join you."