The battle rages on, turning the field into a vast, churning grinder. Walls shatter and crumble under relentless fire. A thick pall of ice dust and gunsmoke hangs in the air, stained a lurid crimson by the shifting aurora.
The howls of Hetero-Creatures, the shriek of metal, and the agonized cries of soldiers fuse into a single, deafening roar, borne on the wind across the frozen wastes.
Damn it, we're stuck. Can't punch through at all.
Commandant, the Warlord's got me pinned. I can't break free.
We're barely holding position over here.
Commandant! We need to fall back, now!
To reassess the situation, you turn your attention back to the battlefield.
—!
Underground factory lines have reactivated. Corrupted and Hetero-Creatures swarm from the tunnels, forming fresh waves for the legion. But on your side...
Ugh...
Everyone is at their limit; once-high morale is bleeding away with each protracted minute of the slaughter.
Then, across this landscape of pain and despair, a silver blade flashes. Its light cuts through the crimson haze—and through your thoughts.
Victory is still possible! If we retreat now... this land will fall to the Frostheart Emperor!
...?
And we're not fighting alone. Countless soldiers have joined this battle. If we pull back now, their sacrifices will mean nothing!
Pretty words don't win fights. We're trapped. So's Derek. You got a magic trick to get the whale to its position?
We wait.
What?
Rosetta raises her light sword and charges back into the horde. With every flash of her blade, another Hetero-Creature falls. Over the communicator, her voice is calm, with the serene steadiness of someone who has survived a hundred battles.
There's still one chance to turn the tide, Commandant. In this land, there exists a force even the Ascendants fear!
Diana promised she'd return. She never breaks her word!
So until then, my duty is to make all necessary preparations.
As the Hetero-Creatures target the exposed Rosetta, she does not evade. Instead, she drives her light sword to its limit, and the blade erupts with blinding radiance.
Do you hear yourself? If this goes on, everyone will—
I know! Pull the wounded back now! Anyone who's unsure should retreat too!
You as well, Commandant... This area is getting more dangerous by the minute. You're vital to this battle. Evacuate to safety with the others.
Commandant, you can retreat to the maximum effective range and observe. After that... we adapt.
Besides, even if our M.I.N.D. connection breaks, this frame won't shut down immediately. I think... it should hold.
Rosetta is telling you to leave her if the situation turns. For her, this is a final stand.
Commandant? But...
Fine, let's do this! We've come this ******* far anyway!
This better really be the last time! I'll handle the wounded!
As they watch Rosetta weaving through Hetero-Creatures and bombarding explosions, everyone—Palma included—seems to draw something from it. A faint hope, yet absolutely vital.
At this point, there is no turning back. Retreat now, and the Arctic Route Union will pay a far steeper price later.
However cruel, this is the daily reality of life on Earth.
Dr. Bear, push all of Derek's engines to max output!
Those engines will blow if we push them! We won't have a way back!
If we don't survive this, there won't be a "back"! Push them to the breaking point!
Mina's voice crackles through the comms next. She is regrouping the bionic whale pod for another assault.
Listen up, blonde boy! Your opponent is me, Frostheart Warlord Rumyantsev!
I'll finish you in five.
By the way... Simon, you seem to be throwing up less this time?
Uh... I'll throw up after we win. That's the plan.
This is the final stand. Outnumbered and outgunned, everyone is fighting with the desperate, unwavering resolve of those who have nothing left to lose.
It is never an order, only a desperate hope. And so you keep fighting, shouting into your terminal, praying for a miracle to descend upon the battlefield, until—
Sorry to keep you waiting.
The perseverance finally turns the tide of battle. The relentless battle yields its reward:
The moment of "luck" has finally arrived as hoped.
