[201-400] THE MECH'S TOUCH

Chapter 393: Unseen Threat

What the 5th Vavulan Chasseurs didn't know was that Ves almost expended all of his means. His stealth augment almost ran out of power while his pistol could only unleash two more powerful beams.
Ves hoped to fool Sir Ravanac into thinking that he could continue to harass the Chasseurs from the dark. Now that they had just succeeded in hitting Ves, it was important for him to demonstrate that he could continue to pose a threat to their rear.

"My stealth charge has almost run out. I've got to finish this quickly."

He positioned himself at a different angle and elevation and proceeded to fire at the uncertain Chasseurs yet again. This time, the mechs had put up their guards and oriented some mechs to the front. His ninth shot managed to carve through the shield of a knight mech, but failed to inflict significant harm on the mech itself.

Even as he unleashed his shot, his form dove down quickly, allowing him to dodge most of the counterattack, although a volley of rapid-fire laser beams managed to clip his left side, causing the shield generator to whine in protest.

"Thirty-eight percent charge!"

His stealth field was also on the verge of giving up. Without any further thought, Ves snapped his Amastendira for the last time. This time, he chose to shoot Sir Ravanac's mech despite knowing that it wouldn't have much of an effect.

His aim was a little off, and the beam streaked above the fancy mech's head. Ves quickly corrected his aim and slashed the beam downwards until it hit the mech's shoulder blades.

Unfortunately, rear armor or not, the Amastendira's full-powered laser beam only left a shallow furrow inside the plating of compressed armor. The only thing his final shot managed to accomplish was to pull Sir Ravanac away from his fight against the Blackbeaks.

Both knight mechs looked like hey had gone through a giant tumbler. One mech lost its shield and had its entire left arm smashed, while the other mech had its beak flattened while suffering a severely dented leg. Ultimately, the two offensive knights highlighted the shortcomings of their type, which was that they lacked the true resilience of a defensive knight.

"Now, will you decide to pull away or not?" Ves frowned.

Whatever the case, he did not have the luxury to hang around. He quickly dove back behind the wall just before his stealth augment ran out of power. Without any concern for his dignity, Ves quickly dropped down to the ground and ran towards the nearest underground access point.

As Ves sought refuge underground, the battle in the gap had turned into an awkward state. Neither the Chasseurs nor the defenders fought with all of their might. The latter had almost run out of steam while the former kept up their guard for further sneak attacks.

The power exerted by Ves and the difficulty in pinning him down had truly struck a nerve in the minds of the Vesians. They quickly lost a bunch of mechs, which robbed the attackers of much of their energy. Even though they would still be able to break through the defenses, the amount of casualties they'd suffer along the way might quickly reach an unacceptable point.

Even as Sir Ravanac agonized over the decision, the two battered Blackbeaks did not show signs of giving up. Their pilots continued to press on the mace-wielding mech, preventing its pilot from considering the situation with a sober mind.

With much of his raiding force stalled, who knew how many mechs he would lose at the end of this raid. It would be a joke to suffer more losses than their targets.

"These Brighters are too stubborn!"

Why did they fight so hard to preserve a single facility?

The losses that the Chasseurs already sustained put the noble in a difficult spot. He already lost a number of mechs. If he did not achieve any results, his superiors would scorch him over a fire. Yet if he recklessly continued the assault, the cost would become so unbearable that he might get sanctioned over the disaster.