280: War of Independence 5

In the Republic Capital, inside the Presidential Palace, the atmosphere was as heavy as the sky before a storm.

President Rocksmith sat behind his large desk, his brows furrowed, with urgent reports for aid from the front lines laid out before him. His fingers tapped lightly on the desk, his eyes revealing shock and confusion.

"Crossbell… in just one week, they actually gained the ability to resist the Republic's regular army?" President Rocksmith muttered, his voice filled with disbelief.

He stood up and paced back and forth in the office, constantly pondering various possibilities.

Initially, he hadn't paid much attention to it.

After all, in past history, the Republic had always held an overwhelming lead over Crossbell.

Even when the so-called Interstellar Peace Corporation displayed extremely advanced mech weapons at the trade conference, after consulting with the head of the Thirteen Workshop within the Republic, he received an assessment from a top Scholar of the continent.

"Mr. President," a chief technical officer from one of the Thirteen Workshop within the Republic said during the meeting, "The technology of that white mech is indeed more advanced than our cutting-edge technology, but it's not so advanced that it cannot be replicated."

"However, its ingenious construction and complex structure mean that even with the combined efforts of the Thirteen Workshop, large-scale manufacturing would be impossible."

These words further solidified President Rocksmith's judgment. That mech was, in all likelihood, some ancient artifact.

'Hmph, I almost got scared by that kid Dieter.'

'No wonder I couldn't find any information about this company; if it's an ancient artifact, then it's not surprising. It seems this artifact is no ordinary one, otherwise, they wouldn't have gone to such great lengths to hide it.'

'To even hide it from the Septian Church's Dominion Knight, it's certainly not an easy target to investigate.'

He looked out the window, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes: "Hmph, even if they have advanced weapons, it's nothing but a fleeting show. How can our Republic's comprehensive strength be easily contended with?"

However, as battle reports from the front lines kept coming in, President Rocksmith began to feel confused.

Although the Crossbell army appearing on the front lines did not deploy those white mechs, the weapons equipped by their soldiers were new and never seen before.

The performance of these armaments far exceeded expectations, causing the Republic's elite troops to fall into a bitter struggle.

"Immediately summon the technical team!" President Rocksmith ordered into the communicator, "I want to know the detailed information about these new weapons!"

Soon after, a group of Scholars in white lab coats rushed into the Presidential Office. After analyzing the data and intelligence sent back from the front lines, they reached a new conclusion.

"Mr. President," a senior Scholar pushed up his glasses, "Based on our analysis, this so-called Interstellar Peace Corporation must have found some ancient artifact, which is that white mech. They developed the mech weapons equipped by those soldiers based on this ancient artifact."

Another Scholar added: "From a technical perspective, although these armaments are advanced, they haven't exceeded our understanding. The team that founded this company most likely, after accidentally acquiring these ancient artifacts, wanted to challenge the status of the Thirteen Workshop."

The head of the think tank finally concluded: "Mr. President, we believe this is an opportunity. If we can preemptively occupy Crossbell, we can not only acquire these advanced technologies but also thwart the Empire's ambitions."

"Furthermore, according to the situation reported from the battlefield, the enemy seems to have no aerial defense capabilities. This should be a very good breakthrough point."

After receiving the conclusions from the Scholars and the think tank, President Rocksmith sat back down at his desk, a confident smile on his face. He picked up a pen and signed his name on a document.

"Issue my order," his voice was firm and strong, "Send out the airship fleet to launch a devastating attack on the Crossbell army."

"We must enter Crossbell one step earlier than the Imperial army to achieve de facto occupation and seize sovereignty over Crossbell from the Empire."

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the distant sky: "Let the people of Crossbell know that the Republic is the true ruler of this continent."

"As for that company that doesn't know its place, let them witness what true power is."

......

In the sky above the Imperial border, a dark meteor streaked across the sky. It was Osborne, piloting a Divine Knight, speeding towards the Bellgard Mountains at an astonishing velocity.

The Divine Knight's massive body violently rubbed against the air during its high-speed flight, emitting a deafening roar. The clouds in its path were torn apart, leaving a clear trail.

Inside the Divine Knight, Osborne was seething with excitement. His eyes burned with a wild flame, and a determined sneer played on his lips.

"Crossbell... Company... Let me show you what true power is." He murmured, his fingers unconsciously tightening, and the Divine Knight's speed increased by several notches.

Just as the Divine Knight was about to fly over the main peak of the Bellgard Mountains, a cold star suddenly lit up in the distant sky.

That cold star approached at an incredible speed, transforming into a slender and exquisite flying sword, its body flowing with a faint blue light, shooting straight towards him like a meteor streaking across the night sky.

Osborne's pupils contracted sharply. He immediately sensed this sudden attack. However, the flying sword's speed was too great; even with the Divine Knight's astonishing maneuverability, it was difficult to completely evade.

"Hmph, a mere parlor trick." Osborne snorted coldly. Confident in his possession of the ultimate power, he didn't put such an attack in his eyes. He manipulated the Divine Knight to cross its arms in front of him, preparing to take the hit head-on.

"Boom—!"

A deafening crash echoed through the valley, and a dazzling light erupted the moment the flying sword collided with the Divine Knight's arm.

What Osborne never expected was that the impact force contained within this seemingly slender flying sword far exceeded his imagination, causing the Divine Knight's massive body to violently shake.

"What?!" Osborne exclaimed. He felt an unprecedented immense force transmit through the Divine Knight's arm throughout his entire body. Under the impact of this force, the Divine Knight lost its balance, plummeting towards the ground like a shot bird.

"Warning! Warning!" An alarm from the Divine Knight blared in Osborne's mind.

Adrenaline surged. He desperately tried to stabilize the Divine Knight, but the power emanating from that flying sword seemed endless, continuously suppressing the Divine Knight's movements.

With a loud crash, the Divine Knight slammed heavily onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. The shockwave from the impact snapped surrounding trees in half, leaving a huge crater in the ground.

As the dust slowly settled, Osborne manipulated the Divine Knight to leap out of the pit.

Although there was no obvious damage to the Divine Knight's external armor, a subtle sword mark was left on the arm where the flying sword had struck.

Osborne was both shocked and enraged. He looked up at the sky, about to question fiercely, but saw a surprising sight.

A yellow-haired young man was slowly descending from mid-air, standing on a floating flying sword.

The young man's posture was tall and straight, his green robe gently fluttering in the wind. His eyes were clear and firm, his face handsome yet with a hint of eagerness for battle.

The moment he landed, the young man lightly waved his right hand, and the flying sword returned to his hand as if alive. He casually made a flourish with his sword, the long sword drawing a graceful arc in the air before steadily pointing at Osborne.

"Who are you?" Osborne's voice, transmitted through the Divine Knight, carried suppressed fury, "How dare you obstruct the Empire!"

'Wait? By his appearance, could he be the strong one Lechter encountered?'

Osborne observed the suddenly appearing young man. In the intelligence Lechter submitted, the description of someone suspected to be stronger than the Sword Saint of Wind almost perfectly matched the young man before him.

And the young man's next action confirmed Osborne's guess.

"My name is Yanqing. By the company's order, I have come to prevent you from proceeding further."

Osborne was enraged upon hearing this: "Company? Do you really think you can obstruct the will of the Empire?" The Divine Knight's eyes gleamed with dangerous red light, and the weapons behind it began to charge, emitting a humming sound.

Yanqing, however, remained completely unmoved. His long sword pointed slightly forward, its tip flowing with a faint blue light: "If you insist on proceeding, I will have no choice but to offend you."

The air between them seemed to solidify, and a great battle was on the verge of breaking out.