Chapter 17: Thunder Mandibles

"All Espers, prepare yourselves. We are about to land. The moment we touch down, exit the craft immediately!" an announcement echoed through all the aircraft.

After all, multiple aircraft were heading to the Insectoid Island, each carrying a different Suicide Squad. All aircraft were connected through Sky Network, short form Skynet.

Skynet was created by the Broken Star Alliance with the goal of managing the complexities of modern defense systems, coordinating large-scale military operations, and monitoring extra-dimensional threats from the endless races that would be impossible for human intelligence alone to oversee.

Developed through a combination of advanced quantum computing and alien interstellar technology that humans obtained after fighting against several races for hundreds of years, Skynet became a powerful and smart AI system that could control all technological machines and weapons. It is also capable of making decisions faster than any human. The existence of Skynet is also one of the reasons Humans were able to hold on till now.

The announcement was made by Skynet for everyone to be prepared.

Very soon, the aircraft landed.

"Go! Go! Go!"

Dan was the first to get out after unbuckling his seatbelt. As an experienced fighter, he knew that a big structure like an aircraft was an easy target for the insectoids. Staying there would be like asking for trouble and sealing his fate.

Soon, all the other espers followed Dan and hurried out of the aircraft. The empty aircraft started its engines and tried to fly back to the Sixth Line of Defense. But before it could climb higher into the sky, it was struck by strong bolts of thunder and lightning.

"Kaboom!!!"

Just like that, the aircraft turned into a fireball and plummeted.

"Run! Those insectoids have been waiting for us. They know we are here."

As Dan ran, he called upon the espers around him. Other squad leaders and vice squad leaders were doing the same.

This mission, it seemed to be yet another failure. They have just landed and were targeted by insectoids.

"Run, everyone. Insectoids are everywhere. There are thousands of them. They have already surrounded us. We have to find a place to hide."

Emrys could not be more terrified. He could feel all kinds of vibrations from every direction. He can even feel powerful auras stronger than most Fourth and Fifth Star Espers.

When Dan heard Emrys's shout, without hesitation, he gave orders to hide and try to stay alive for as long as they could, and try to complete the mission.

"Oh! Oh!"

Right then, an esper no longer cared that Emrys was just a crippled esper. Most of them were new recruits who enlisted in the army at the same time Emrys did. They were already told to hold Emrys's every word in high regard, for their survival depends on him most of the time they are here. Due to all these reasons, they subconsciously recognized Emrys as their leader.

"Boom!"

The falling aircraft was not the only one destroyed. When it hit the ground, it crushed another aircraft that did not manage to take off in time. No one knew if the espers inside the craft had made it out in time or not.

Whoosh!

Boom! Boom!

Krashhh!!

The battle immediately caught intensity. The entire place was instantly filled with the clamor of shells ripping through the air and various explosions. A series of aircraft touched down on the land, and a large number of espers rushed onto the battlefield. However, a few aircraft had also been shot down before they could even land.

Espers started fighting. They could see it was an army of large Thunder Mandibles who were shooting bolts of lightning to target the aircraft and espers.

On the brutal battlefield, casualties were not only on the human side. The Thunder Mandibles suffered even heavier casualties. The aircraft also shoots energy cannons at the Thunder Mandibles, blasting those massive insects into the sky in a spray of green blood as well as torn limbs.

Emrys, while running, soon found a crater. He immediately jumped and landed in that massive crater, which had been blown out by a Thunder Bolts. While it was not considered absolutely safe, the chances of surviving there were greater compared with being exposed in the open!

A few Espers who were running along with him also jumped.

"Shhusssh!" Emrys subconsciously touched his back, where he would have hung his electromagnetic rifle, but unfortunately, there was no longer any rifle there. It seems to have fallen in the chaos that erupted just after the aircraft landed.

"Damn!" Emrys cursed silently.

"E-Emrys... You have been through this situation before, right? Tell us, what should we do?" The ones who followed Emrys the closest were the new recruits. They were not experienced and were more like paper soldiers. Although these people were combatants, because it was their first battle, all of them were white from fear and at a loss of what to do.

"Let's wait and see!" Emrys's heart was trembling, but he tried to stay calm. At least, he holds a slight advantage in the current situation. He can sense the vibration and tell whether enemies are coming for them or not.

The battlefield was already chaotic. Powerful Espers were fighting insectoids. Emrys knew that only after clearing the current battlefield filled with thousands of insectoids can espers assemble together again and receive an effective command from their leaders.

So now, all Emrys and the rest had to do was stay alive and wait until the fight was over.

"But weren't our orders to..."

"Boom!"

Before the new recruit could finish speaking, an aircraft fired a cannon that exploded near the crater. The powerful blast killed many Thunder Mandibles and sent dirt and debris flying everywhere. The flying dirt knocked the recruit, who had just stood up, back to the ground.

At the moment, the squads still inside the aircraft were dropping bombs on the insects without aiming carefully. They could not pay attention to the scattered espers on the ground. If Emrys and the others moved around without caution now, they would have a high risk of being hit by their own side's attacks.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The explosions continued to echo. Yet, Emrys was unmoved by it. He continued to lie by the edge of the crater. At the same time, he was carefully observing the situation on the battlefield with his Echo Sense.

Who knows for how long the continuous explosive sounds continued to ring when suddenly, a new order was given to every Esper through their battlefield recorders.

"All units, immediately assemble at the landing point of your aircraft!"