From Cannon Fodder to Star Conqueror

During the Empire's orbital strikes, Yaxin Base was spared from tactical nuclear bombings due to the presence of infiltrators and defectors from the Federation.

Instead, the soldiers there were hit with tactical thermobaric bombs.

The soldiers attending the Founding Day celebration were effectively wiped out in one strike.

Commander Adam, who had just finished performing at the event, was "coincidentally" inspecting troops near the base's bunkers when the orbital bombardment occurred.

As a result, he was fortunate enough to survive the strike.

However, the rest of the soldiers were not as lucky.

Before they could recover from the attack and grasp the situation, they saw numerous Imperial orbital drop pods piercing through the skies, braving the remaining anti-air defenses, and landing inside the base.

When heavily armed orbital paratroopers began pouring out of these pods, the surviving soldiers finally understood—

The Empire had invaded.

The first to respond were the surviving on-duty soldiers at Yaxin Base.

Despite most guard posts being annihilated in the first wave, and the destruction of the power station rendering most automated defenses inoperative,

The soldiers, equipped with exoskeletons, quickly regrouped under their officers' command and launched a counterattack against the Imperial orbital paratroopers who had breached the base.

Supported by several multi-legged combat vehicles, the infantry held the main roads within the base.

Using the overwhelming firepower of their electromagnetic chemical cannons and small charged particle guns, they suppressed the Imperial paratroopers at key chokepoints.

---

Meanwhile, Viscount Ankalin, having regrouped with his "Noble Squad" after exiting his drop pod, immediately heard calls for reinforcements from his scattered teams through the shortwave communication channels.

Through the battlefield command system, he observed the grim reality—out of the first 100 drop pods deployed (each carrying 5 soldiers), only 56 pods successfully landed intact.

"Damn it! The intelligence department can go to hell!"

Seeing his heavily damaged forces, Viscount Ankalin angrily slammed his visor shut and spat on the ground.

"And to think they had the audacity to say we'd only lose 25% of our units during the drop!"

Shaking his head, he loaded his gauss rifle with a click and turned to a nearby paratrooper.

"Dale! You're in charge of the battle command. Secure our target area!"

Although Viscount Ankalin was a veteran paratrooper, he lacked extensive tactical command expertise.

Thus, the 'Blood Dragon Regiment's' battlefield command was primarily entrusted to his captains, with Ankalin serving more as a "hero unit" to inspire morale.

"Understood, Viscount! Go enjoy the battlefield, sir!"

Dale, the tactical officer, shrugged, clearly accustomed to Ankalin's leadership style.

"Haha! That's why you're my favorite captain!"

Laughing, Ankalin led his Noble Squad in a different direction, not forgetting to shout back one last order—

"Oh, and pick up the pace! The Blood Dragons can't let the other units outshine us!"

"Yes, sir!"

Dale gave a theatrical salute, then turned to his troops with a serious expression.

"You heard the Viscount! What are we?"

"Blood Dragon Regiment!"

"And what is the Blood Dragon Regiment?"

"The Emperor's Blade!"

"Good! Move out!"

With that, Dale began issuing commands through the shortwave and battlefield systems:

"Merge survivors from Companies A and B under Captain A. Reinforce the vanguard and hold the line!"

"Company C, follow me inside the buildings for demolition ops!"

"Fire support teams, move to the marked area and take out those combat walkers!"

"Electronic warfare teams, deploy drones and start jamming enemy systems!"

"Communications team, guide the second wave of drop pods!"

---

Meanwhile, Viscount Ankalin and his Noble Squad faced increasing pressure as more surviving Federation troops armed themselves and joined the fight.

Suddenly, a panicked voice came over the comms:

"MBT! 11 o'clock!"

Before Ankalin's HUD finished marking the "high-threat unit",

A programmable high-explosive shell streaked across the street and detonated in the midst of the Imperial paratroopers.

"Boom!"

The shockwave sent Ankalin tumbling to the ground. He staggered up and scrambled behind a broken wall for cover.

The explosion had left seven or eight paratroopers dead, while wounded soldiers crawled toward cover with the help of their comrades.

Peeking out from behind the wall, Ankalin saw a gray main battle tank (MBT) with thick composite armor smashing through a fence.

Its menacing 155mm electromagnetic chemical cannon was still smoking from its last shot, while the dual 35mm auto-chain guns on its turret rained down fire.

The chain guns tore through several paratroopers who failed to take cover in time, cutting them down mercilessly.

Watching this, Ankalin remained calm. Both he and his squad had long prepared for such brutal scenarios.

Instead of dwelling on fear or grief, they focused on finding a way to neutralize this steel beast.

"Damn it! Why the hell does this base still have these relics!?"

"Man, even our border outposts still have a bunch of these tanks lying around."

"Yeah, they may be old, but they sure as hell still work!"

Despite their complaints, the squad began working on a plan as the MBT continued its systematic bombardment.

Several paratroopers equipped with anti-armor weapons flanked the tank under covering fire.

Moments later, top-attack missiles fired from behind buildings streaked toward the MBT.

But just as the missiles approached, a blinding white light erupted alongside the explosions—

"Damn! It's a deflection field!"

The missiles had detonated prematurely due to the tank's electromagnetic shielding, leaving only scorch marks on its armor.

"Captain, we can't take this thing down without heavier firepower!"

"Got it. I'll call for a Titan drop!"

(Chapter End)