Chapter 275 - 281

Chapter 275: Dominus State!

In the wasteland outside Night City, a group of Wraiths cautiously poked their heads out to assess the situation. Not far from them was the very site where Roland and Maine had just clashed.

Roland hadn’t expected a Wraith stronghold to be located so close to their battlefield.

The Wraiths had naturally noticed the disturbance—especially that massive impact earlier. Sensing danger, they had immediately taken cover. Only after things seemed to calm down did they dare to come out and investigate.

What they didn’t know was that Oblivion, under Roland’s control, was still there—waiting for the right moment.

Just as the Wraiths sent out a small squad to scout ahead, an intensely violent tremor suddenly erupted from not far away, knocking every member of the squad off their feet.

They scrambled up and stared at one another, each seeing the shock and uncertainty mirrored in the others’ eyes.

“B-Boss… are we still going?”

The leader hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth.

“We’re going. Who knows what good stuff might be waiting for us? Ever heard ‘fortune favors the bold’?”

The squad exchanged glances, then followed. Their boss wasn’t wrong—if you want something, you take the risk.

The closer they got, the stronger the tremors became. Sand and pebbles were already lifting slightly off the ground under the vibration.

Along with the tremors came an overwhelming wave of heat.

At the epicenter, Oblivion’s already massive body had grown another size. Orange-red energy overflowed from every inch of muscle and armor, bathing him in a blazing glow.

Under the surge of power, Roland couldn’t hold back any longer. He threw his head back and let out a long howl.

Oblivion’s body swelled again before their eyes.

Energy flooded into his muscles, expanding his entire frame. The gaps in his armor were filled with pure energy. A crimson glow ignited deep within his monstrous maw.

A violent shockwave exploded outward.

Boom!

Everything around Oblivion instantly caved in, forming a shallow basin. Surging energy lit up every sharp edge of his form.

At the same time, an intense high-temperature field and electromagnetic distortion enveloped him. Storms of raw energy swirled violently around his body.

Roland even saw a massive boulder get sucked in—only to be reduced to dust in an instant.

“So… this is Oblivion’s full power?”

He clenched his fist slowly, then beckoned behind him.

A massive Moon Blade tore through the PROJECT transport aircraft and dropped into his hand.

Swish—

A blazing orange blade arc tore through the air, slicing a small hill clean in half before it collapsed to the ground.

Boom—

“ROAR!!!”

The soundwave rippled outward with crushing force.

Roland immediately canceled Dominus State and severed the connection.

If he stayed connected any longer, the rage and brute impulses might push him straight into Night City for a full-scale massacre…

With control cut, Oblivion fell silent.

The prepared PROJECT squad waited at a distance for a long moment before cautiously approaching. Once they confirmed stability, they quickly began crating and securing Oblivion for transport.

Meanwhile, the Wraith squad finally arrived at the scene, just in time to see a large transport aircraft bearing the PROJECT insignia.

“Looks like we’re too late…”

The Wraith leader’s expression carried both regret and relief.

From this close, they had heard everything—the earth-shattering impacts, the roar that nearly made them piss themselves. They knew exactly how dangerous that place had been.

They had only dared approach once things went quiet again.

But when they finally got a clear look—

Every face froze.

The terrain had been completely rewritten. A once-solid hill now lay sliced cleanly in two. A section of cliff face had simply vanished. The ground itself had crystallized under extreme heat.

“I’m starting to think… we’re insanely lucky…”

No one argued. They just nodded blankly.

…

“Damn… those side effects are something else…”

Roland climbed out of the cockpit, rubbing his forehead as a dull ache throbbed behind his eyes. It passed quickly—but remembering what he had just done—

Smack.

“Need to be more careful when piloting Oblivion…”

Normally, he would never take something that massive for a stroll—especially not sprinting through the streets of Night City like a maniac.

What was that if not public indecency at a citywide scale?

It wouldn’t take long before every major faction learned he had something like that.

But would that be a bad thing?

…Or would it just make them even more cautious?

Yeah. Probably that.

As Roland stepped down from the cockpit, he began thinking about how to make proper use of Oblivion.

“Come to think of it… since Yorinobu’s already in Night City, and both Oblivion and Apocalypse are in my hands… what’s Arasaka even good for anymore?”

His eyes suddenly lit up.

“Right. Time to blow up the carrier and Arasaka Tower. And that Smasher I’ve been ignoring? Might as well take care of him too. Decision made—Night City is mine.”

In a strange way, the brute impulses brought by Oblivion were useful. With his current strength, he really could turn hostile against Arasaka.

Before, he’d held back because of insufficient firepower.

Now?

On land, everyone else was a joke.

“Idaho’s dragged on long enough too. Time to end that war… Mudor!”

“Boss, what are your orders?”

Mudor hurried in.

“Don’t ship Oblivion back here. Send it straight to Idaho. I’ll end that war myself.”

“Understood!”

Roland nodded, satisfied.

As for Arasaka in Night City… he could deal with them after Idaho. It’s not like they were going anywhere.

Meanwhile, inside Arasaka’s temporary tower, Smasher suddenly felt a chill crawl up his spine.

For no clear reason—

He had a very bad feeling.

...

Chapter 276: Knowing When to Adapt

“You all saw it, didn’t you? That thing.”

Opus turned his expressionless face toward the colleagues gathered before him.

“I thought the technology they’d shown before was already their limit. Never expected this to be the real centerpiece…”

Logan Doyle frowned and couldn’t help speaking up.

“Could it be that their corporation’s original goal was to develop the pinnacle of individual soldier combat capability?”

“I don’t think so. But it has to be said—this monster they’ve revealed now could decide most battlefields on its own. Especially when every side is still hesitant to bring those things onto the stage.”

“…True. Even for us, if we don’t resort to nuclear weapons or orbital launchers, we probably have no way to deal with it.”

Listening to the discussion around him, Encryptus showed a thoughtful expression. For some reason, he had a feeling that even nuclear weapons might not be able to do much against that thing.

It wasn’t that he doubted the power of nuclear weapons. Rather, he suspected they might not be able to hit it at all.

Judging from the speed it had demonstrated in Night City, it could very well leave the blast center before the nuclear strike even locked onto it.

And then there were the energy shields, along with that absurd machine performance…

Thinking this far, Encryptus silently cut off his own thoughts. He didn’t want to continue imagining it. Otherwise, even if he were given the chance to go down to the surface, he might not dare anymore.

But what truly unsettled them wasn’t the combat power it had shown.

It was the fact that it was completely immune to netrunning.

Yes—completely immune.

It wasn’t that its firewall was too strong or anything like that. They simply couldn’t find any node belonging to it at all.

...

While the Highriders were discussing the situation, Militech and Arasaka were also holding their own internal discussions.

Militech in particular—or rather, the New United States—felt an intense sense of unease after learning about this monster, which was even more terrifying than the one that had previously appeared on the battlefield.

At the same time, they began considering how they could possibly face such a killing machine in war.

“This isn’t the time to calculate gains and losses. We should deploy strategic weapons immediately and eliminate them. PROJECT’s appetite won’t stop at just Idaho. Even if they don’t want a full-scale war with us right now, it’s only a matter of time.”

A senior hawkish official spoke decisively, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

This time, however, neither the neutral faction nor the anti-war faction voiced any objections.

Seeing their reaction, Myers fell silent for a moment before asking,

“Do you have a concrete plan?”

The hawkish official’s eyes immediately lit up when he heard her words.

That meant their president had approved their proposal.

This was indeed a desperate gamble. After all, on the front lines in Idaho, they were already no match for PROJECT. The only thing they could rely on now was numbers to stall for time.

The casualty ratio between the two sides had already become an enormous gulf—so bad it was almost impossible to look at.

This battle had made one thing very clear.

If PROJECT continued expanding and growing stronger, then sooner or later this rising power would challenge the old powers. And since they all shared the same continent, there was no way the New United States could avoid that confrontation.

Just like the hawkish official had said, Myers also didn’t believe the people behind PROJECT would stop after taking Idaho.

Because if she were in their position, she wouldn’t stop either.

...

“Lord Saburo, what should we do?”

Takahashi Eiichi, a hawkish executive within Arasaka, lowered his head slightly as he asked.

Saburo Arasaka narrowed his eyes.

Ever since PROJECT Corporation began expanding rapidly, he had sent many of his people to probe them.

But the result had been the same every time.

Whether it was netrunner teams or assassination squads, all of them failed—and most simply vanished without a trace, as if they had never existed.

Now the other side had already grown into a colossal force. Dealing with them was no longer as simple as before.

Especially with Arasaka’s current deployment in Night City—failure there was absolutely not an option.

“…Go contact PROJECT’s leadership and negotiate with them. No matter what, our people must remain in Night City. This time we absolutely cannot withdraw from there. Even if they demand an outrageous price… feed them first.”

“I understand. I’ll handle it immediately.”

Takahashi Eiichi bowed deeply before leaving.

After he left, Takemura slowly stepped forward.

“Lord Saburo, is this really—”

Before he could finish, Saburo Arasaka raised a hand slightly, signaling him to stop.

“Goro, I know what you want to say. But don’t worry so much. Everything is still under control. Nothing will deviate from my plan.”

“Yes!”

Goro Takemura immediately straightened and bowed his head.

“Oh right. Tell me—how is the situation on Yorinobu’s side?”

“Yes. Mr. Yorinobu has been arranging infiltration and expansion for our forces in Night City recently. With assistance from the Tyger Claws there, he has already established contact with many officials and planted quite a few hidden agents.”

“Hmm. Not bad.”

A hint of appreciation appeared in Saburo Arasaka’s eyes.

For a brief moment, there was also a trace of regret and sorrow—but it vanished quickly, replaced by burning ambition.

...

Roland raised an eyebrow as he looked at the man in front of him dressed in Northern California government attire.

Then he slowly asked,

“What’s this about?”

“Mr. Roland, this is a decision we reached after thorough deliberation. There is absolutely no deception involved. Please accept it!”

The official held the document with both hands and respectfully presented it to Roland.

To be honest, Roland hadn’t seen a paper document in a very long time.

At Roland’s signal, Lucy stepped forward, took the document from the official, and handed it to him.

When Roland read the contents, his eyes widened instantly.

He stared blankly at the official in front of him, momentarily stunned, though he quickly composed himself so he wouldn’t lose face.

“Ahem… Mr…”

“You can just call me Pabo.”

“Alright, Pabo. Are you sure the Northern California interest groups truly intend to do this?”

Roland narrowed his eyes as he looked at Pabo.

At the same time, the cyber eye in his socket quietly adjusted, monitoring the man’s heartbeat and pulse.

“Yes. This is our unanimous decision. As long as you sign your name, Northern California will become one of PROJECT Corporation’s affiliates starting from this moment!”

That’s right.

The document Northern California had delivered was essentially a declaration of submission.

It granted PROJECT Corporation control over the forces currently held by the Northern California government—including, but not limited to, command over parts of the military.

Although it wasn’t everything, it was still an extremely substantial share.

In return, PROJECT would provide technological support and military protection.

The initiative over technological support would remain entirely in PROJECT’s hands.

At the same time, the Northern California interest groups were even willing to exchange corporate shares in order to bring PROJECT Corporation into their territory.

“The reason?”

“New United States.”

Hearing that answer, understanding immediately flashed in Roland’s eyes.

He had suspected something like this before—but he hadn’t expected the hatred between the two sides to run this deep.

What Pabo didn’t say was that they were genuinely afraid.

Especially considering the power currently held by PROJECT.

If they really fought…

They simply couldn’t win.

It was better to surrender early. That way they could still maintain their upper-class lifestyle instead of ending up like those people in Nevada—reduced to nothing more than a handful of dust.

...

Chapter 277: All That’s Left Is to Wait

After their discussion, Pabo left the PROJECT building in high spirits, leaving Roland behind in the office with a rather strange expression on his face. Lucy was there too.

“Why are you smiling like that?”

Seeing the odd smile on Roland’s face, Lucy couldn’t help but ask.

“It’s nothing. I just didn’t expect Northern California to make a choice like this.”

Roland waved his hand dismissively.

“So what’s your plan? Are you really going to cooperate with them like this?”

Lucy tilted her head, looking at Roland curiously.

“No. Of course not. Sure, they were sensible enough to come to us, but that doesn’t mean I trust them. They’re just afraid of dying. Later we’ll handle Northern California the same way we did Nevada—slowly chip away at them bit by bit.”

Roland shrugged.

What he didn’t say was that Night City itself was located within Northern California. That gave him far more room to operate than he had in Nevada.

And now that they had a cooperative relationship with Northern California, planting spies within their internal system would practically be effortless.

Just as Roland was thinking about how to deal with the Northern California factions, a communication request came in.

He glanced at it and saw that it was Chris, so he accepted immediately.

“Chris, what’s going on?”

Roland looked at Chris on the screen, with Boros standing beside him.

“Yes. The New United States has withdrawn its troops.”

“What?”

Roland immediately frowned. His first reaction was that he must have misheard.

“The New United States has pulled their main forces directly from the front line. They’re no longer blocking our advance. Only small units remain nearby to monitor our movements.”

Chris reported the entire situation.

“Why do you think they did it?”

Roland looked at Chris with a frown.

“After creating some distance from us, their forces stopped retreating. That means they have no intention of abandoning this battlefield. The only explanation is that they’re preparing to deploy large-scale destructive weapons—ones that could easily cause friendly casualties if their troops stayed too close.”

Hearing this, Roland’s eyes sharpened.

Even without Chris finishing the sentence, Roland had already thought of the ultimate weapons from his previous life—nuclear bombs and hydrogen bombs.

Thinking of that, Roland couldn’t help clicking his tongue inwardly.

Myers really thinks highly of us, huh?

“Can the Sovereign-class Fighter intercept them?”

“…Unless we intercept them before they reach Idaho, there will still be a certain level of risk. And if the interception distance isn’t controlled properly… it could become the perfect detonation point.”

Roland immediately felt a headache coming on.

The “perfect detonation point” meant the missile exploding mid-air. In that case, the nuclear blast would fully unleash its destructive power, potentially causing even greater casualties.

“Have the Sovereign-class Fighter try interception first. Do everything possible to stop it far away from our forces. Even if it detonates somewhere within Idaho, that’s acceptable. Our technology is capable of dealing with the radiation. I’m leaving the specific operational plan entirely to you.”

“I understand. I won’t let you down!”

Chris nodded seriously and prepared to end the communication.

“Oh, right. Oblivion should be arriving at the front line soon… Yes, arrange for someone to deploy Oblivion behind their main force!”

Suddenly, Roland seemed to think of something. His eyes lit up as he spoke to Chris.

Hearing this order, Chris couldn’t help twitching at the corner of his mouth.

Although he hated to admit it, this extremely straightforward, brute-force method was actually the best solution available right now.

In simple terms—overwhelming force breaks everything.

Unless the New United States was prepared to sacrifice the entire army currently stationed inside Idaho.

“Yes!”

Since it was an effective plan, Chris had no reason not to use it. With Oblivion about to arrive, he would have the Sovereign-class Fighter deploy it directly.

Meanwhile, the forces at the front would accelerate their advance toward the New United States’ main army—not necessarily to collide with them, but to ensure they couldn’t move far enough away.

After dealing with the situation in Idaho, Roland shifted his attention to another extremely important matter: the construction of Lissandra’s base.

That project was tied to the birth of two top-tier combat forces. It was impossible not to pay attention.

Once Lissandra’s base was completed, he would accumulate enough essence to exchange for Lissandra. At that point, he could begin spreading the dormant source code virus.

When the time was right, he would activate everything in one move and let the outside world deal with the chaos.

The benefits that would come from that would certainly be enormous—perhaps even enough to accumulate the resources needed for the Super Body in one go.

Lissandra was one of the prerequisites for obtaining the Super Body, which was why this base was tied to the birth of two top-tier forces.

However, once Lissandra herself was created, Roland would temporarily shift his focus away from those other major corporations.

The reason was simple.

Those megacorps still had certain ways to deal with superintelligence. It all depended on whether they were willing to cut off their own limbs to survive. Alerting them too early and plunging the world into chaos wasn’t his goal.

The best outcome would be to wait until the Super Body and the source code virus were both ready—then launch everything in one decisive strike.

By that point, no one in the world would be able to say no to him.

So once Lissandra was born, Roland’s next target would be every super AI beyond the Blackwall.

He had no intention of leaving any of them behind.

With Lissandra’s power, he planned to turn that entire region into an AI factory.

Meanwhile, the reconstruction of Agas City was already nearly two-thirds complete.

...

Chapter 278: Prelude

“Is the New United States serious about this?!”

The senior officials of the Idaho government exchanged glances, each seeing the same intense dissatisfaction in the others’ eyes. Yes, they had indeed handed that region over—but that had been done privately, behind closed doors.

To the people of Idaho, they had told a completely different story. They had simply claimed they requested assistance from the New United States, and so on. In short, Idaho was still their Idaho, and they would never hand it over to anyone else.

They had promised to safeguard the interests of every Idaho citizen—standard political rhetoric. Anyone with clear eyes could see Idaho’s real situation, but at the very least, maintaining a certain level of public support on the surface was necessary.

But the New United States’ latest decision would nail them directly to the pillar of shame. Every citizen of Idaho would remember this administration.

Why?

Because they had actually allowed the New United States to drop a nuclear bomb on Idaho’s territory!!

“Barring any unexpected changes, yes. They’ve already decided to wipe out this PROJECT unit on our land. They’re unwilling to commit more troops, so using nuclear weapons is the option that best serves their interests…”

“F**K! Absolutely not! Reject their request! We cannot allow them to drop a nuclear bomb on Idaho! If that happens, forget returning here—we might not even be able to stay anywhere within the New United States!”

“Exactly! We absolutely can’t let them do this!!”

“You’ve got to be joking. What exactly do we have that could stop the New United States from launching a nuclear strike? Your mouths?”

The room immediately fell silent.

Several of them flushed red with embarrassment, but none spoke. They all knew he was right. From the day they handed over Idaho’s main forces, they had already lost any standing to negotiate with the New United States.

“Instead of thinking about how to stop them, you should start thinking about your own escape routes. Worst case, you change your face and keep living.”

The officials looked at one another again. In the end, they all chose silence.

Seeing the situation settled, the New United States envoy quietly nodded before explaining the arrangements their government had prepared for them.

After hearing the guarantees from the New United States, their expressions were still unpleasant, but they had already accepted reality.

As for the people of Idaho…

All they could do was say sorry. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to protect them.

They simply had no ability to do so.

...

BOOM—

A Sovereign-class fighter roared across the skies above Idaho before flying straight toward the territory of the New United States. The New United States’ radar systems and satellites immediately detected its movement.

Without hesitation, the “Sky Shield” air defense system was activated.

The accompanying military units had no missiles capable of dealing with the Sovereign-class-class fighter, but the large-scale air defense installations within the New United States possessed missiles that could barely keep up with it.

Quetzalcoatl III missiles—specifically designed to intercept supersonic fighters. Ordinary aircraft wouldn’t last two rounds against them.

Given the Sovereign-class-class fighter’s performance, they took no chances. More than a dozen missiles launched simultaneously, closing in from every direction to intercept a single Sovereign-class-class fighter.

The targeted fighter showed no panic. It immediately activated energy overload mode and accelerated while reporting the situation.

After receiving the order to return, the fighter turned sharply in midair. With assistance from its comrades, the pursuing Quetzalcoatl missiles were destroyed.

Soon after, it returned to Idaho’s airspace.

When Myers received the report, she finally let out a sigh of relief. She had genuinely worried that her forces might be unable to deal with those fighters. If that happened, launching nuclear missiles might end up backfiring on them.

Roland, on the other hand, wasn’t particularly happy—but he wasn’t too bothered either.

After all, the Sovereign-class-class fighter had only been sent out as a test. Success would have been ideal, but failure carried no real loss.

“Where is Oblivion now?”

“It’s about to reach the troops inside Idaho.”

“Good. Lucy, prepare things for me. I’m going to start piloting Oblivion. While I’m connected, you and Lissandra will handle anything that comes up. If it’s something major, let Lissandra inform me.”

“Understood.”

Lucy nodded slowly and walked out to begin preparing PROJECT’s internal security forces.

Roland walked to the other side of the office. After opening a hidden door, another concealed chamber appeared inside, along with an elevator. This facility had been built specifically for piloting Oblivion after its completion.

After passing a series of identity verifications, Roland stepped directly into the elevator.

Even if someone discovered this place and entered the cockpit, it wouldn’t matter. No one except him could pilot Oblivion.

Anyone attempting to force control would likely have their brain overwhelmed and destroyed by Oblivion’s massive data stream.

Soon, Roland arrived at the cockpit he had seen once before.

Without hesitation, he lay down inside.

After the neural link connected, Roland’s vision flashed brightly before completely changing.

Inside a massive transport bay, Oblivion’s body was connected to countless energy conduits. Nearby rested its weapon—the enormous Moon Blade.

“Hm… so these energy conduits can partially suppress Oblivion’s rage…”

Viewing everything through Oblivion’s perspective, Roland narrowed his eyes slightly. The sensation was different from when he had piloted it before.

After scanning the surroundings, he noticed that besides Oblivion, several top-tier mechanical combat units were also stored inside.

“Let’s wait a little…”

Roland slowly closed his eyes and began waiting for the transport aircraft to reach its destination.

Meanwhile, inside Cyberspace, Garu and Rumes exchanged glances.

“I didn’t expect the New United States to actually go this far.”

“Looks like there’s nothing for us to do.”

“What a pity… we finally had such a good opportunity…”

“It doesn’t matter. It was only a trial investment. Even if PROJECT corporation fails this time, they won’t be wiped out. With their technology, it won’t take long before they rise again.”

“The New United States has merely bought itself some breathing room.”

“True. Sooner or later, they’ll use that data packet.”

Garu nodded.

He had great confidence in President Myers of the New United States. Even if the data packet wasn’t used this time, based on his understanding of her personality, she wouldn’t be able to suppress her ambitions forever.

Eventually, she would start researching it.

Little NorthStar had already proven that point—the Blackwall AI inside it explained everything.

“If I remember correctly… the New United States has a child who can connect to the Blackwall?”

“Yes. That child is extremely talented. If this operation fails, that child could become a very good breakthrough point.”

“Then we proceed on three fronts—the New United States battlefield, the Data Research Institute, and that child.”

“Agreed.”

...

Chapter 279: Crush Through!

Buzz—

With a low mechanical hum, the massive transport aircraft landed in the center of the PROJECT forces. Chris and Boros were already waiting there for the being inside to emerge.

As the cargo bay door slowly opened, a towering figure stepped into view.

Having detached the energy conduits connected to its body, Oblivion slowly walked out of the transport bay.

The overwhelming pressure it radiated made several nearby soldiers instinctively tighten their grip on their weapons. The entire area fell silent.

Chris and Boros stared in open amazement.

“Guess it really lives up to the name… the ultimate fusion of every combat cyberware.”

“If this were back in the day, I probably wouldn’t even dare stand in front of that thing…”

“Who do you think is piloting it?”

“Who knows. As long as it’s not Renekton, that guy…”

“True. As long as it’s not him, it’s manageable…”

Chris and Boros spoke quietly among themselves.

“Chris, there’s no need to wait any longer. Arrange for the Sovereign-class fighters to transport me over. We need to finish this situation as quickly as possible. The longer we delay, the greater the risk.”

Suddenly, Oblivion’s thunderous voice rang out near Chris.

Chris nodded immediately. He agreed with the plan—just as Roland said, delays could change everything.

If they moved too slowly and the New United States withdrew their main forces, a nuclear strike might come down at any moment.

But that voice…

Chris’s eyes widened slightly.

“Boss?”

“Yes, it’s me. Stop standing around.”

Roland replied impatiently. Seeing that Chris still hadn’t moved, he frowned, and the tail behind Oblivion lashed lightly against the ground.

Chris snapped out of his shock and quickly left to carry out the orders. Mudor had never told him the details, so he had no idea Roland himself was piloting Oblivion.

But there was no time to dwell on it.

He quickly arranged everything, and before long, four Sovereign-class fighters slowly landed nearby. A ring of work robots surrounded Oblivion, rapidly installing specialized equipment onto its body to secure it during transport.

Soon, the robots cleared a large open space.

“Boss, everything’s ready! All the transport equipment for Oblivion has been installed!”

“Good. Have the troops catch up as quickly as possible. Don’t waste time.”

Roland nodded.

“Understood!”

Chris immediately issued orders for the entire force to accelerate forward. Slower soldiers were assisted by robots to increase their movement speed.

Once everything was set, Roland gave Chris a nod.

Chris instantly ordered takeoff.

The four Sovereign-class fighters lifted off together, carrying Oblivion suspended between them. Moments later, they accelerated toward the New United States main forces.

Boom—

After a sonic boom echoed through the sky, the four Sovereign-class fighters activated their linking system and shot forward like a streak of light, disappearing into the distance.

Meanwhile, the New United States officer in charge of the retreat operation received a radar alert.

When he looked at the satellite feed and saw that streak of light again, his heart sank.

“Quick! Quick! Quick! Report to command! Tell them the PROJECT fighters have launched again and are heading straight for us!”

“Yes, sir!”

Upon learning the situation, Maitoh felt a wave of unease.

This retreat operation was his final chance. If he failed again…

He would almost certainly face a military tribunal.

When Myers received the frontline intelligence, her expression changed as well.

Every action taken by PROJECT had a purpose—and they always achieved results. In other words, they never fought unprepared battles.

Sending their strongest fighters straight toward the New United States main force like this meant they were planning something big.

They couldn’t afford to take it lightly.

Gritting her teeth, Myers finally issued the order to deploy the New United States’ most advanced fighters. These aircraft were extraordinarily expensive, and she hadn’t even used them during the Idaho operation because she thought it wasn’t necessary.

But now…

If she didn’t deploy them, it might soon be too late. After all, the other fighters couldn’t even catch their exhaust.

Soon, the Sovereign-class fighters appeared above the New United States forces.

The troops below stared up nervously, treating them like an approaching catastrophe.

“Designated destination reached.”

“Copy. Begin lowering altitude.”

“Safe altitude reached. Decelerating. Preparing for deployment.”

“Safe speed confirmed. Units One and Two ready to disengage connection.”

“Copy. Situation stable. Disengage!”

Hiss—

With a burst of venting gas, two cables suddenly retracted back into the Sovereign-class fighters. Oblivion’s massive body was now supported by the remaining two aircraft.

The other two fighters began circling the area, establishing an aerial defense perimeter.

At the same time, fighter jets from the New United States finally arrived at the battlefield.

Seeing this, the remaining two Sovereign-class fighters released the final restraints.

A massive figure plummeted from the sky.

Panic immediately spread through the New United States troops below as they hurriedly cleared a large open area to avoid being crushed.

Midair, Roland spread his arms.

Gripping the Moon Blade, he adjusted his posture and plunged toward the ground.

BOOM—

A thunderous impact erupted, sending sand and dust roaring into the air.

The surrounding troops instantly activated the scanning functions of their tactical goggles, trying to see through the dust cloud.

Very quickly, a massive heat signature appeared.

Roland planted one hand on the ground and threw his head back, unleashing Oblivion’s ferocious roar.

Here, there were no friendly forces nearby.

He could go all out.

Then…

Dominus State, activate.

“ROAR!!!”

A terrifying storm exploded outward in an instant. The surrounding temperature skyrocketed as razor-sharp energy particles tore through everything nearby.

Anything that came close was instantly sliced in half.

At the same time, the Moon Blade swung outward, releasing a circular wave of energy.

Slash—

Nearby tanks, armored vehicles, and mechs were cut cleanly in two. The edges of the cuts still glowed with the terrifying heat of the strike.

Roland’s voice boomed across the battlefield.

“Let me crush straight through you!!! ROAR!!!”

...

Chapter 280: The Power That Crushes Everything

“Quick! Everyone, concentrate your fire!”

“Special Operations Squad, move in and hold the line!!”

The moment Roland activated Dominus State, the New United States forces immediately reacted. Orders rang out across the battlefield as surrounding units quickly closed in. At the same time, the New United States’ elite single-soldier squads began preparing to engage.

Buzz—

A sharp mechanical hum spread across the battlefield as a combat vehicle equipped with an electromagnetic cannon began charging. Blinding light gradually gathered at the muzzle.

The powerful energy fluctuations immediately caught Roland’s attention.

He pushed off the ground violently.

Boom!

With a thunderous explosion, Oblivion’s massive body vanished from everyone’s sight in an instant, leaving streaks of orange afterimages behind.

Thud!

The next moment, Oblivion landed directly in front of the vehicle.

The driver’s pupils shrank.

Ignoring the distance and the incomplete charge, he fired immediately.

But just as the projectile was about to leave the barrel—

A gigantic claw shot forward.

CRACK—

A horrifying metallic screech echoed as the cannon was twisted out of shape, followed immediately by a deafening explosion.

Slash—

Before the soldiers could react, a massive tail shaped like an energy battle-axe swept across the battlefield.

The violent wind scattered flames and dust. Under the flickering glow of sparks, Oblivion slowly turned around like a demon emerging from hell.

In front of him, half of the combat vehicle had simply vanished.

Seeing this, Maitoh felt his heart twitch painfully.

They didn’t have many of those electromagnetic cannon vehicles. Most were still experimental models. The ones deployed here were merely the most stable prototypes.

And ironically, those designs had been based on PROJECT combat vehicles in the first place...

But soon Maitoh had no time to worry about that.

Because on the radar he saw Oblivion’s massive signal rapidly approaching the command center.

Without hesitation, Maitoh ripped off his headset and ran for the exit.

Damn it!

I’m not dying in a place like this!!

Meanwhile, Roland was rampaging across the battlefield.

Nothing could block him for even a second.

At the same time, he constantly scanned the battlefield using the tactical scanning system. The fastest way to stop such a large force was simple—

Kill their commander.

Suddenly, another wave of robots and armed drones surrounded him.

Countless armor-piercing rounds and explosive shells slammed into Oblivion’s body.

Roland felt his vision becoming obscured and grew irritated.

He tightened his grip on the Moon Blade.

Cull the Meek!

Slash—BOOM—

An orange-red flash cut across the battlefield.

For a moment, the surrounding space seemed to freeze.

The flames and smoke were instantly split apart, and the drones and robots rushing toward him were crushed into scrap in an instant.

After clearing out the cannon fodder, Roland scanned the battlefield again, searching for the enemy command center.

At that moment—

A figure wearing black exoskeleton armor burst through the smoke from the side.

Boros’ eyes lit up when he saw the monster focused entirely on the troops.

He had already realized how terrifying the creature’s strength and defense were.

But such massive power and size had to come with a price.

And he—

Was the user of the latest Sandevistan developed by Militech.

The strongest soldier who had completed hundreds of missions without a single failure.

Combined with the powerful energy melee weapon from PROJECT in his hand…

He could absolutely kill the monster and turn the battle around.

A smile appeared on Boros’ face.

He had joined the New United States military at a young age. His natural physical talent allowed him to synchronize with the Sandevistan.

He could activate it more than a dozen times a day.

Because of that, he gained the attention of the higher command and was transferred into the Special Operations Squad, performing missions around the world.

He had even fought Adam Smasher before.

And dealing with slow, bulky enemies like this—

He knew exactly how to do it.

So…

Die!

Whoosh—

The moment the newest Sandevistan activated, the entire world seemed to freeze.

Everything around him slowed to a crawl, and the world lost all color in Boros’ eyes.

A look of intoxicated pleasure appeared on his face.

He loved this feeling.

In this frozen world, it felt like he was the one controlling reality.

“Die…”

Boros tightened his grip on his weapon.

His acceleration cyberware exploded with power, leaving trails of afterimages as he dashed forward.

Just as he was about to reach Oblivion—

Oblivion’s head slowly turned.

Directly toward him.

Boros’ expression instantly changed.

A thought flashed through his mind—

But he quickly suppressed it.

“Impossible… absolutely impossible. That must be my imagination!”

Pushing the thought aside, his expression turned vicious.

His speed increased again.

Slash—BANG!

“Gah!!”

Intense pain exploded through his body.

Boros spat out a mouthful of blood, staring in disbelief at Oblivion.

“This can’t be… impossible!! How can you see me?! That’s absolutely—”

BOOM!

“Damn it, stop yapping. You’re annoying.”

Roland frowned.

His hand suddenly tightened.

CRACK!

With a crisp snap, Boros’ spine was crushed.

Roland then slammed him straight into the ground.

The body instantly turned into a puddle of mangled flesh.

Just as Roland was growing impatient, a figure appeared in the distance that immediately caught his attention.

The shining military rank on the uniform was extremely eye-catching.

“Don’t even think about running.”

Whoosh—

With a sharp tearing sound, Oblivion’s enormous body surged forward.

Holding the massive Moon Blade, Roland transformed into a spinning drill of destruction and charged ahead.

Everything in his path was torn apart.

Soldiers.

Combat vehicles.

Mechs.

All of them were crushed like paper into twisted metal.

The soldiers watching this scene were already losing their sanity.

Madness and despair began to fill their eyes.

Because against this enemy—

They couldn’t even break his defense.

Meanwhile, Maitoh, who was desperately fleeing, suddenly saw that terrifying figure tearing through the defensive line and diving toward him from the sky.

His soul nearly left his body.

“No—no—no! Don’t come closer! Don’t kill me! I have intelligence, I can tell you—”

BOOM!

The orange-red figure landed directly above him.

A torn military cap slowly drifted down from the air.

It landed on the ground—

And was crushed under Roland’s foot.

After killing the commander, Roland slowly smiled.

Meanwhile, the other commander still hiding inside the command center saw everything.

He gasped sharply.

His face turned deathly pale.

Maitoh’s fate made him imagine his own ending.

And sure enough—

In the next moment, Roland’s gaze shifted directly toward the command center.

The commander’s face instantly turned white.

Only one thought flashed through his mind.

I’m screwed!

...

Chapter 281: What AI? Can You Eat It?

BOOM—

The massive body of Oblivion tore through the metal wall in front of it in an instant before crashing down inside with a thunderous impact.

A moment later, terrifying moon blades swept through the room, giving the people inside no chance to even speak before everything in sight was completely destroyed—intelligence and all.

With both their command center and netrunner hub gone, the New United States forces were effectively blinded. Seizing the opportunity, PROJECT’s netrunner units pushed forward aggressively.

They severed all communications in the area while simultaneously beginning to turn internal robots, drones, mechs, and other machines to their side.

In an instant, the massive New United States force fell into complete chaos. They could only rely on a few remaining command sub-centers and scattered netrunner teams to resist—but it was nothing more than a drop in the ocean.

With the command center’s supercomputer gone, PROJECT’s netrunner forces quickly gained overwhelming dominance.

At the same time, Myers completely lost contact with the forces on the battlefield. Realizing something was very wrong, she could only rely on satellite surveillance to observe the situation.

What she saw next was the terrifying figure of Oblivion rampaging across the battlefield.

It ignored every attack as if they were nothing. With terrifying strength, it effortlessly lifted a hundred-ton battle tank and hurled it away. Then it pushed off the ground with tremendous force, leaving a massive crater behind before landing directly on top of the tank it had thrown.

Standing atop the wreckage, it let out a terrifying roar toward the battlefield. Even though Myers couldn’t hear the sound, she could feel the overwhelming despair spreading across the warzone.

Her usual composure vanished as her face turned pale. She could already imagine the consequences if this entire force was wiped out—impeachment would be the least of her problems.

Realizing this, Myers no longer hesitated. She immediately issued an order for her subordinates to deploy the data transmitted from Blackwall onto that battlefield.

She had no other choice. Launching a nuclear strike at this moment would only push her into a dead end.

...

Meanwhile, Garu, who had been conducting data experiments, suddenly froze. A visible look of confusion appeared on his face.

The next moment, Rumes appeared beside him.

“It seems you felt it too. The data packet we handed to the New United States has been activated.”

“Hmm. That’s a bit unexpected. I thought we wouldn’t get a chance to intervene in this battle, but for us, this is actually good news.”

“Indeed. Let’s project our consciousness there and take direct control of the battle. While we’re at it, let’s see if we can destroy PROJECT’s database.”

“Agreed. But just to be safe, we should first turn some of PROJECT’s mechanical soldiers. That way we can at least obtain some of their data and technology.”

“Sounds good.”

As their conversation ended, two streams of black-and-crimson data instantly shot past Blackwall and entered the network world on the other side.

The intelligent AI contained within the data packet immediately swept across the entire battlefield. The unprepared PROJECT netrunner units were caught completely off guard.

They quickly lost part of their control over the network, allowing Myers to reconnect with the remaining officers on the battlefield.

However, Garu and Rumes ignored the New United States forces entirely. Instead, they began observing the battlefield through robots while searching for suitable targets.

But no matter where they looked, all they saw were New United States troops.

“What’s going on?”

Both of them showed puzzled expressions. But soon, their attention was drawn to the terrifying figure of Oblivion.

At the same moment, the same thought appeared in both of their minds.

Take him down.

Whoosh—

Without even communicating, the two launched their attack on Oblivion at the exact same time. Terrifying black-and-crimson data instantly crushed the consciousness of nearby netrunners, while several robots around them had their components burned out instantly.

Sensing a hint of danger, Roland immediately frowned and spun around.

Two beams of black-and-crimson data slammed into his body in the next instant.

Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!

As black-and-crimson electric arcs danced across Roland’s body, Garu and Rumes immediately showed looks of delight. They had expected some difficulty—but this had been far too easy.

Yet the next second, Roland casually shook his body, clearing away all the data attached to him. Completely unharmed, he stared at the two of them expressionlessly.

The rage that had previously clouded Roland’s mind also subsided somewhat under the impact of their data attack.

“I don’t remember the New United States having netrunners of your level.”

Garu and Rumes showed stunned expressions. They clearly hadn’t expected him to come out completely unscathed.

But their reactions were extremely fast. With a wave of their hands, everything under their control in the surrounding area surged toward Roland, while the two of them began launching a barrage of data attacks.

It didn’t take long for Roland to grow extremely irritated.

The reason was simple—none of these things could break through his defenses, but they kept swarming around him nonstop, constantly annoying him. It was infuriating.

“Roar! Damn insects—die!!”

BOOM—

With a thunderous explosion, Oblivion’s massive body charged straight toward Garu.

A mocking, almost human-like expression appeared on Garu’s face.

He was a little surprised that the other party could even see him—but that was all.

Trying to hit him with a physical attack?

What a joke.

CRACK!

As the enormous maw filled with razor-sharp teeth lunged toward him, a crisp sound suddenly rang out.

In the next instant, an unprecedented wave of pain spread through Garu’s entire body.

“AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

A horrifying scream echoed across the entire cyberspace.

Rumes, who had still been attacking, was shocked by the sudden scene. Then he saw Oblivion holding half of Garu’s body in its jaws.

The other half had fallen to the ground, while data resembling blood and tears smeared across Garu’s face.

Seeing this, an unfamiliar feeling suddenly rose in Rumes’ heart.

An emotion called fear.

“ROAR!!!!”