Chapter 57: Those Who Cannot Read the Times Are Left Behind, But Those Who Think They Have Read the Times Rush Towards Ruin
  The New Balance fleet was trying to control the fleet with fear, but within a day, some semblance of order was established. It was like a shutdown of thought. Once people realize they can’t justify their actions, they become frighteningly obedient.
  The soldiers had realized that they had done something terrible.
  But at the same time, a shared concept was being born.
  That was the idea that they were a privileged class. It was the awareness that they were on the side of the rulers.
  We do good things. We must accept the killing for that purpose.
  We’ve come too far to turn back, and if we lose now, we’ll definitely be punished as war criminals.
  We won’t be able to walk around in public with our heads held high.
  In the end, it was an escape. Then, at least, we must win this battle and act to guide humanity correctly as atonement, as we say.
  Believing that was the only path left to them.
  
  “Fauden, is he planning to destroy Earth too?”
  
  There was only one man who would not bend.
  Hearing the reports on the current state of Earth, Anferu wondered if he should launch a full-fledged coup d’état, but at the same time, he was calculating whether it would be more advantageous to ride this momentum.
  
  ‘However, it would be convenient for our rule to wipe out the troublesome forces on Earth and clean it up. After that, I just need to eliminate Fauden and seize power. The machine can be dealt with in any way. It’s just a high-performance machine.’
  
  Goetia’s actions created extra work, but at the same time, they also dealt a blow to the opposition. The forces around the Earth would have ceased to function by this point, and for better or worse, the media was also wiped out.
  This also meant that no unnecessary information would be spread. Ideally, if they survived this battle and returned in triumph, the situation could be conveniently altered.
  Anferu realized that it was true that the victors make the times and history.
  
  ‘But for that, do I have to find the Professors?’
  
  Trismegistus. Goetia. Phoenix, who developed these two, was hiding somewhere with his own forces, but he was alone after all. The fact that he was secretly connected to Fauden was not surprising.
  In the first place, Phoenix had been sending information about the enemy to them. It was said that it was a big experiment in itself, but whether it was successful or not.
  The only thing they knew was that both Trismegistus and Goetia were excessive in terms of the combat power of a single mobile weapon. That was all.
  If they could just get rid of the pilots, they could do anything.
  He had no way of knowing that this was Anferu’s miscalculation.
  
  ‘But for now, the priority is to crush the rebels. We’ll wipe them out with the Babel Cannon. If we push it, we can fire a second shot. Babel will be destroyed, but we can just have it repaired. Once that’s done, I’ll k*ll Fauden.’
  
  Even though he was rotten, he was still in command of the military. He recognized who the priority enemy was.
  
  “What is the status of reinforcements from each sector?”
  
  Anferu had them gather as many forces as possible.
  Perhaps due to anger, dismay, and impatience at the disgraceful display in the previous battle, he was sensitive about military strength.
  The troops remaining on Earth were able to join quickly, but if they were even slightly away from Earth’s sphere, the time required to assemble, even with warp, varied.
  
  “Yes, sir. It will take a week at most. The Mars garrison should be able to join us in two hours, but……”
  “If it’s the Mars force, we can count on at least thirty ships……”
  
  There were more New Balance troops stationed at the Mars base, but that was the limit of the fleet that could be mobilized immediately.
  Still, they should have had the upper hand against the Rebel fleet that was coming.
  
  “After all, the enemy is just a rabble. Once the Mars fleet joins us, we can crush them with numbers.”
  “However, the only concern is…… the presence of defectors.”
  “Ignore them. But don’t touch them yet. They are still useful.”
  “Huh? What do you mean?”
  “They are the ones who left in the confusion. They think they share the same aspirations. Once they return, we will allow them to rejoin their original units.”
  “They will be delighted by the Colonel’s generous treatment. But is that okay?”
  “The more forces, the better.”
  
  Anferu realized that he was being uncharacteristically cunning, and he almost laughed.
  Return to their original units? He would allow it, but at the same time, it meant putting a collar on them. The same was true for those who were here, but the deserters would be even more miserable, though they probably didn’t realize it.
  However, if he kept the window open and accepted them, it would lead to a high evaluation of him.
  At least, he would appear more tolerant than Fauden, who would eventually annihilate those who had fled. On the surface, at least.
  
  “Anyway, for now, hurry up with the adjustments for the second shot of the Babel Cannon and the repair of the remaining fleet……”
  
  His words were interrupted by a sudden alert.
  
  “What’s going on!”
  “A, a warp-out reaction! A huge object…… Ah!”
  
  The operator’s scream was the answer.
  Right in front of the New Balance fleet. At a relative distance of forty kilometers. It was as close as it could get in combat distance.
  Moreover, it would be a good target. Immediately after warping out, even the most high-performance ship would have a split-second gap. That was absolute. Then, whether it was a long-range beam or a missile, attacking it would allow them to inflict preemptive damage.
  The warp-out reaction could be interpreted as a surprise attack, but the distance was too great. Anferu’s knowledge made him think it was an a*ateur’s tactic, but that’s why he chose to launch an immediate attack.
  However…… the words “huge object” bothered him.
  
  “Fire! Commence attack! At the same time, activate anti-beam defenses…… What!?”
  
  Anferu’s orders were indeed carried out, but at the same time, he was also astonished.
  Because what appeared in their sight was a huge asteroid. No, it was the fortress base that should have been placed at each base. It had warped right in front of them.
  
  “Impossible!? A space fortress warping, why…… Huh!”
  
  The enemy also has the same machine.
  He should have been well aware of that, but Anferu had underestimated it.
  The fact that they had been transported with their large fleet and the Babel Cannon was one thing, but the prediction that the enemy would be able to send in a fleet was also made.
  However, he hadn’t anticipated that they would bring in a fortress.
  What was even more threatening was that these fortresses were made by hollowing out asteroids, so their pure strength was superior to that of battleships made of iron.
  
  “Launch the Planet Killer!”
  
  If such an object suddenly appeared, the weapons they could use were limited. There was no time to prepare for the Babel launch.
  Anferu’s judgment was not wrong at all.
  Under his command, several ships launched Planet Killers. Even an asteroid fortress would have to stop moving in the face of a gravitational anomaly. Even if that was impossible, it would be fine as long as it damaged the enemy fleet.
  
  “Forty seconds to impact!”
  
  But it was strange.
  Where was the enemy fleet? Were they hiding behind the fortress? It was also incomprehensible that there was no incoming attack. If the fortress in front of them was a giant decoy, the enemy would be directly above or below. Of course, they were on alert, but it was instinctive to remove the huge threat in front of them.
  
  “Deploy the Teurugia squad forward. We don’t know from which direction the enemy will attack.”
  “Thirty seconds until impact!”
  
  There’s no attack from the enemy.
  Then this is a bluff.
  
  “Twenty!”
  
  But, is there anything else I’ve forgotten?
  Anferu’s doubts remained.
  
  “Ten!”
  
  The Planet Killer flies towards them.
  And then.
  
  “……?”
  
  There’s no report of impact, nor an explosion.
  
  “What, what happened? Why is there no report?”
  “Th-that’s…… Planet Killer…… reaction, disappeared.”
  “What!?”
  
  After shouting, he remembered.
  Trismegistus. That thing nullifies the Planet Killer.
  And, there was already proof of that.
  
  “Enlarge the image! Increase radar sensitivity too! Find the monster!”
  “Enemy fleet from the south celestial direction!”
  “From the north celestial direction too!”
  
  He wanted to shout “I told you so,” but that was impossible too.
  
  “How annoying! They’re just a disorganized mob after all, their squads should have decreased by splitting their forces. Drive them into individual battles. The Babel is!”
  “W-well, it’s currently in the final adjustment phase, but the time…… the barrel cooling……”
  “Doesn’t matter. Fire it when it’s ready. We can fix it later. Are the enemies planning to ram the fortress into us……? Idiots, if they do that, our fleet will be crushed. Even if the Babel gets damaged, its destruction must be avoided……!”
  
  Besides, even if they scattered to escape from the fortress here, it would mean that they would be subjected to individual attacks.
  
  “Aren’t we surrounded……? What’s going on?”
  
  But, our total forces are still superior. It should take time for the giant fortress in front of us to collide as well. There was still room to maneuver.
  
  “……Concentrate fire on the enemy fleet in the south celestial direction. Prepare to move the fleet.”
  
  However, he gives the order just in case.
  
  “D*mn it…… What is Fauden doing? What is Goetia doing? If that thing moves, it should be able to deal with the enemy fleet easily. Or is it……”
  
  Fauden has abandoned us.
  Even now, the actions of that old geezer whose thoughts are unfathomable are too perplexing.
  He went down to Earth alone and wiped out the infrastructure.
  But, if we’re attacked by the enemy fleet like this, even he should have to come back.
  If the enemy has the Trismegistus……
  Anferu sees the flash of light caused by the interference of beams and recognizes that the battle has begun.
  
  “Inform all ships, this is a desperate battle. If we lose this fight, our names will be etched in history under the title of evil deeds.”
  
  The truth is.
  The one who feared this situation the most was Anferu.
  It is unfortunate that he himself is unaware of this.