?Chapter 6530 Saint Linda Cross


    Ketis experienced an unexpected setback in her n 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 hadpelled many second-ss ace pilots to leave the second-ss mech forces that they fought alongside with for many years.


    If second-ss ace pilots of this caliber possessed the power and the resources to pilot first-ss ace mechs, yet refused to do so, it was usually because they weremitted to defending theirrades.


    This was an expression of true loyalty.


    It was normally difficult for the mechers or other groups to persuade these stubborn and emotionallymitted saints to leave theirrades and fight for a different cause.


    Yet this time the RA seeded.


    The Red War had taken such a dire turn that the survival of red humanity came under increasing doubt.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Even if the saints were able to protect theirrades and loved ones on an individual battlefield, their victories became meaningless 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 sessfully persuaded a lot of second-ss ace pilots to finally make the jump even if it meant that they could no longer fight alongside their familiarrades.


    The good news was that enough ace pilots, most of whom had managed to break through rtively recently, had decided to stay behind and watch over the second-ss mech forces.


    It was still sad to see so many other dependable champions depart.


    While Ketis ultimately believed that the Red Association''s desperation measure would ultimately benefit everyone, it did not help her case at the moment.


    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 mechers were able to suppress the Heavensword, then they would feel tempted to capture the priceless grand work and im it for themselves!


    That was not what Ketis wanted!


    She did not regard the Heavensword as an actual enemy. She merely 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 sh against the Heavensword''s ancient values.


    Ketis turned to another ace pilot.


    "Patriarch Reginald? Now that the 77th Warborn Mech Division has been assigned to defend the Vi Magnifica System, you can lend a hand to us as well. Are you willing to cooperate?"


    It initially came as a surprise to both the expeditionary fleet and the 77th Warborn that the two would converge in the same 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 members 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 cemented his control over the Warborn. The strategists also forced him to take his mech division to Vi 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 Vi 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 simr to the others. The vigorous ace pilot and n leader gruffly spoke. "I would have stayed and guarded your back if I could. You are one of the few mech designers in this dwarf gxy that possesses the guts and courage of a warrior. would be a shame if anything happened to you. You should be able to call for other help. Master Benedict has been nning the upgrade of my Mars for a long time, so there is no excuse for any dys."


    "I see." Ketis said as she tried to think of other names 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 n was not the only member of the Golden Skull Alliance that had gained new ace pilots.


    The Cross n 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


    n''s Bastion!


    Everyone turned to one of the more recent saints who had proven her valor inbat many times over during the Red Tide Offensive.


    Linda Cross used to be one of the expert pilots of the original Cross n. She survived the retreat from the Garlen Empire in the old gxy and apanied the reformed Cross n into the new frontier and helped to win the battles that allowed it to rise to prosperity.


    In the present time, she was just beginning to get her bearings as an ace pilot with her recently upgraded Amphis Extremis.


    The quasi-first-ss ace space knight possessed a bnced 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 nheless tried topensate 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 mech 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 regr channels. What truly enabled it to stand out was the integration of resonating exotics. Saint Linda Cross was able to infuse arge proportion of true resonance into the SA-DIX to increase its ability to withstand damage, which was particrly 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 mechs or the side of a friendly starship from iing damage.


    However, the SA-DIX wasrgely 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 punishment for a limited amount of time, which was usually enough to escort friendlies to safety. Her Amphis Extremis therefore split its time on defensive and offensive missions. It would be great if the Amphis Extremis could approach an enemy phase lord and lock the alien monstrosity inbat, 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 mech for her, but the junior ace pilot needed at least a few years to limate 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, thebination 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 time hase. 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 merely want to guard against the possibility that it will force me to be its next Heavensword Saint." The more Ketis thought about the relic weapon''s habit of transforming any swordmaster into an ace pilot that had bepletely dependent on the extraordinary weapon,


    the more frightened she became.


    Would it employ the same method to establish a foothold in human society?


    It was questionable whether Ketis could resist this transformation. Prior swordmasters had all volunteered to be 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 be a simr figurehead, so it became necessary for her to


    n for the worst.


    Saint Linda''s assistancebined with the help of other avable 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 meeting.


    "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 shameless and cowardly phase lords to these war theaters. They are not necessarily weak, but... it is bing increasingly more difficult to force them into an honest fight. It is not without reason that the mechers 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 members of the Golden Skull Alliance looked up to their established champions and protectors, so much so that they became 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 regr troops to fight without so many of their powerful saints watching over their heads.


    Only mech 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 development if he had to shoulder greater burdens.


    Other Larkinson expert pilots were in the same position. When Ketis thought of the dramatic events that took ce 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.