There is no hell in this world.
If there were, it would be the human world itself.
Livia had long since grown accustomed to the smell of hell.
Near the outskirts of New Germania, in the Green Zone that was once considered “heaven” by ordinary people and had only recently been liberated by the Army Without Borders, nothing remained but scorched earth.
Black smoke rose from the skeletal remains of the city, merging into the lead-gray radiation dust haze cloud until they were indistinguishable.
The stinging scent of burning plastic-steel, carbonized flesh, and ozone triggered by high-voltage electric arcs worked its way into the lungs of every survivor, reminding them that they were still alive.
The wreckage of two types of mechas lay entangled in the rubble: the gray-painted MS-01W Valkyries engraved with eagle emblems and iron crosses, and the camouflage-painted RJD-01 Peregrines imprinted with skull profile patterns.
Friend and foe were indistinguishable now; there was only the equality of death.
This was the graveyard of civilization.
The Third Order knew their end had come.
In their final broadcast, nothing remained but hysterical roars: “THE WINNER WILL ALWAYS BE THE JUDGE, AND THE LOSER WILL ALWAYS BE THE JUDGED!”
They had fitted all their slaves with self-detonation collars, driving these desperate souls forward to form the first wave of a fleshy tide crashing against the positions of the Army Without Borders.
Livia had witnessed that horrific scene with her own eyes.
The flames of explosions rose one after another along the front lines, swallowing countless lives along with their cries of agony.
Next came the true tide of steel.
“All units, take note! Detecting an ultra-giant mobile target! Repeat, an ultra-giant target!”
In the public channel, the observer’s voice was distorted by extreme terror.
A massive shadow slowly stood up on the horizon, its colossal body blotting out the already dim light of the sky.
It was a giant mecha nearly 100 meters tall. It was a bipedal humanoid, carrying a massive cannon on its shoulder capable of leveling an entire city. Its armor was thick and primitive, looking like a giant that had stepped out of ancient mythology.
‘Titan…’ The name surfaced in Livia’s psychic perception, accompanied by a wave of cold.
This had originally been an engineering beast planned in the old era for developing extraterrestrial colonies, but now it had become the last and most terrifying war machine of the Third Order.
“Stellar Sigil calling Assassin. Prepare for decapitation.”
Livia did not hesitate for a single second. The psychic communication of a New Human instantly connected her to her partner.
“Received, bestie. Leave it to me.”
Marianne’s voice sounded, always carrying a hint of playfulness, but Livia could feel that her spirit was more focused than ever before.
The engine of the Skylark let out a low hum. The silver machine transformed into a streak of light, grazing the ground at high speed.
“Sidewinder Squad! Cover Stellar Sigil!” The roar of a mecha commander echoed through the allied channel.
Several Peregrines rushed out from both sides, frantically pouring rockets and autocannon fire toward the Titan.
The Titan did not even pause its steps.
A layer of pale blue energy field emerged around its body. Every attack was annihilated the moment it touched the seal field, stirring up nothing but circles of powerless ripples.
The next second, the secondary turrets on its shoulders opened fire.
A torrential rain of dense energy beams fell.
“Ah — !”
A few short screams came over the channel, followed by dead silence.
On the screen, two of the green dots representing friendly units were instantly extinguished.
“Signals from Sidewinder Three and Five have disappeared! The squad requests a retreat! We can’t hold them off!”
“Retreat authorized! Foxhound Squadron, move toward Stellar Sigil! At any cost!”
“Copy that!”
Livia did not look back.
She piloted the Skylark through the ruins, the machine performing one incredible maneuver after another to evade the locks of the Titan’s countless muzzles.
She knew that for every second she delayed, more of her comrades would die.
“Livia, its energy shield generator is at the spinal connection on its back. The power is too high; I can’t pierce it.”
Marianne’s voice rang out in Livia’s mind. She had already figured out the enemy’s weakness by hacking into their communication system.
“Give me an opening. 0.1 seconds is enough.”
“Understood.”
Livia slammed the control stick. The Skylark abandoned all evasive maneuvers and charged forward instead of retreating.
The silver machine tore through the smoke and dust, boldly rushing toward the Titan’s massive body.
The enemy’s mecha units also realized her intention and rushed over like madmen, desperately trying to cover the Titan.
Just then, several precise golden beams shot out from nowhere, detonating the leading enemy machines on the spot.
Taking advantage of the enemy’s chaos, the Foxhound Squadron arrived quickly, engaging the enemy in a bitter struggle.
“Go, our Trump Card! We will open the path to victory for you!”
“Understood.”
On the path paved by the lives of her allies, Livia successfully breached the Titan’s energy shield.
The Titan’s AI seemed confused by the suicidal behavior of this tiny opponent, but it still faithfully executed its extermination command.
Its massive mechanical arm swung toward the Skylark with a whistle that tore through the air.
Now!
In Livia’s eyes, the entire world transformed into a flood of data.
She poured all her energy into the beam saber in her hand.
At the moment she was about to collide with the giant palm, the Skylark performed a high-speed lateral spin at its limit, grazing the edge of the hand.
The blazing light blade in her hand stabbed fiercely and precisely into the Titan’s wrist joint!
Sizzle — !
A violent energy overload caused the Titan’s massive arm to jerk violently, its movements stagnating for a split second.
At the same time, several kilometers away on the roof of a tall building, the GNX-JF20 Xuanlong, finished in matte deep space black, deactivated its optical camouflage.
Its slender and menacing frame was full of futuristic style, and the muzzle of its long-range beam sniper rifle flashed with the light of destruction.
“Goodbye, big guy.”
A golden light of destruction, silent and invisible, pierced through the entire battlefield. Within the 0.1 seconds that the Titan was damaged and its energy shield generator’s power fluctuated, the beam precisely pierced the target.
Dead silence.
The next second, a massive explosion erupted from the core of the Titan’s back. The blue seal field flickered violently a few times before being completely extinguished.
The massive steel giant froze in place. Then, chain explosions began from the inside, tearing it apart inch by inch.
Accompanied by the ear-piercing sound of twisting metal, it crashed to its knees, becoming a burning tomb of steel.
However, even though their ultimate weapon had fallen, the soldiers of the Third Order continued to fight to the death.
They were like programmed machines, charging, firing, and then falling. If they retreated, their families in the rear would be executed immediately.
This bloody slaughter did not end until the last enemy was killed.
When Livia piloted the scarred Skylark on a final patrol and confirmed there were no more threats, she returned to the side of The Boss.
At some point, gray-black snowflakes began to fall from the sky; it was contaminated dust.
The Boss stood quietly in front of the wreckage of a completely destroyed T-90M tank.
That old-era tank had been refurbished and repaired by the technicians of the Army Without Borders and had been a mainstay of the ground forces.
Now, it was nothing but a pile of scrap metal emitting black smoke.
On the side of its scorched turret, a slogan written in white paint was faintly visible in the firelight:
“Freedom is worth the sacrifice of everyone.”
The cockpit door opened with a hiss of depressurization.
Livia leaped down from a height of 10 meters, the dampening system of her combat suit allowing her to land soundlessly.
Her tactical boots stepped into a thick mire. The smell of machine oil, blood, and scorched steel mixed together, making one feel nauseated.
Not far away, The Boss crouched in front of the charred corpse of a tank crewman.
His cold, metallic prosthetic hand was exceptionally gentle at this moment, slowly closing the staring eyes of the dead soldier.
He did not speak, just crouched there quietly, but Livia could feel the sorrow overflowing from his body.
In that moment, a scripture inexplicably surfaced in Livia’s mind:
‘He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death.’
Nearby soldiers spotted her, and heartfelt smiles and cheers suddenly broke out on their exhausted, blood-stained faces.
“It’s Stellar Sigil! Our Hero has returned!”
“Long live Miss Livia! Our Valkyrie!”
Cheers rose one after another, deafening to the ears.
Just then, a mecha that was matte black and menacing descended silently from the sky, slamming heavily into the ground and splashing mud everywhere.
Clack!
The hatch popped open, and Marianne leaned halfway out with her hands on her hips, shouting dissatisfaction at the crowd.
“Hey, hey, hey! What’s with only praising her? What about me, the one who sniped that big guy in one shot? Am I a joke to you?”
Looking at the girl in the tactical maid outfit clamoring for credit, the surviving soldiers were stunned for a moment before bursting into loud laughter.
The bloody smell on the battlefield, which had been so heavy it was suffocating, finally thinned out a little.
“Only death marks the end of duty,” The Boss said softly as he stood up.
In this era, death was far too common. The living did not have much time to immerse themselves in grief.
The battle was far from over.
“Boss, the remaining enemies have been cleared,” Livia stepped forward and reported with a salute.
“Livia…” The Boss turned around, staring at her with a complex gaze.
“The next target is the enemy capital, New Germania. Too many people have sacrificed themselves in this war. That anti-human gang must be completely wiped off this planet.”
His calm words contained a determination as vast as a landslide or a tsunami.
Even the usually flighty Marianne stopped smiling, her expression turning solemn.
War. War never changes.
Humans were still killing each other, and the person who felt the most pain because of it was the very man leading them to victory.
The Boss turned his head toward the wreckage of several crashed, old-model fighter jets in the distance.
“EF-2000 Typhoons… they even brought out these antiques to use as disposable fodder…”
The presence of the Radiation Dust Haze Cloud made all aircraft relying on traditional navigation and aerodynamics nothing more than scrap metal.
Because of this, tactical mechas equipped with anti-gravity particle engines had become the kings of land warfare and the overlords of low altitude in this era.
The fact that even such antiques were deployed to the battlefield meant the Third Order was truly at its wits’ end.
Suddenly, Livia looked up. Her psychic feelers allowed her to catch a glimpse of a vision of the future.
She asked softly, “Boss… is the Blue Dream about to be realized?”
“Yes.” The Boss nodded, but when he looked at Livia again, a trace of reluctance appeared within his resolve.
“Livia, let’s go end this damn war together.” Marianne leaned in from somewhere and hugged her tightly from behind, rubbing her cheek against Livia’s neck. “When we’re done fighting, the three of us will repair our home together.”
“…I am not a doll,” Livia said, a rare hint of embarrassment appearing on her expressionless face.
“Oh, don’t be so stingy. You’re so soft and nice to hug.” Marianne’s hands started getting restless, giving Livia’s waist a squeeze. “What’s wrong with a little bestie cuddling? It won’t kill you!”
“…………”
Livia finally reached her limit. She swung a clean hand-chop backward, landing it squarely on Marianne’s head.
The Boss watched the two girls bickering, his cold face softening for a fleeting moment.
‘Livia, I will not let your sorrow be scattered into the heartless sea,’ he thought to himself.—