For once, the Larkinson Clan had a stroke of luck.
The random draw that determined their next opponent placed the dreaded Zpoeze Battalion as the final boss of the G-Aena League.
Practically no one thought the Zpoeze Battalion would falter in the semifinals and be forced to fight for third place.
Even if the Larkinsons managed to reach the finals only to get stomped by the pussies, it still would have been worth it! Losing against the Zpoeze Battalions would put them in second place, which was still worth 20 combat carriers!
Therefore, the Larkinsons absolutely had to win their next match. None of the clansmen involved in the tournament relaxed any longer. It was all hands on deck as they prepared to analyze their next opponent and make specific preparations to win the upcoming match.
During the following meeting, Director Raella put forth a suggestion.
"We have always been aiming to win either first or second place in this tournament. Although we only need to defeat one more battalion to reach the finals, it would be an enormous shame to stumble at this point. The prizes for third and fourth place are much smaller. After all we have done, I don't think that anyone here wants to return to our clan with just 10 or 5 combat carriers in our possession."
All of the Larkinsons in the meeting room nodded. They were all fighting to become the champion of this massive and prestigious event, but getting second place didn't sound so bad either.
"If that's the case, make sure to go all-out this time." Raella continued. "Whatever we have left, just use it if the moment is right. Don't think of hiding our strength for later."
"Is the Glory of Urthina Battalion that strong?"
Raella crossed her arms. "Yes. If you haven't watched the previous matches yet, you'll find that the only reason why they fumbled a match was because they fought against a highly mobile mech battalion that was able to evade their most powerful attacks. Most of our mechs can't do that, so we won't be able to fight the Urthinans at an advantage."
"What is their strategy, exactly? I've seen them fight, but all I see is their mechs launching an all-out assault."
"That's pretty much what they are all about." Raella responded. "The Glory of Urthina Battalion's mech roster is disproportionately slanted towards assault-oriented mechs. Their aerial wave consists of hundreds of lancer mechs, offensive knight mechs as well as light skirmishers that specialize in intercepting other light mechs. Aside from that, they also field a substantial lanndbound contingent of medium cannoneer mechs escorted by defensive knight mechs."
The aerial wave was the main attacking force that could already sweep some of the weaker battalions in the G-Aena League with just a single charge. The fairly mobile landbound ranged contingent that followed from behind provided firepower support just in case they bumped into tougher opponents. freeweɓnøvel.com
"From what the Urthinans have shown up until now, their mech doctrine and mech roster is completely geared towards assault. They do not have the patience or desire to remain on the defensive, and they do not bother to set up the battlefield in their favor either. They're just obsessed with vanquishing the unbelievers."
"Sounds familiar." A Larkinson officer scoffed.
"We've fought our fair share of cultists and fanatics, so expect to fight against highly motivated mech pilots who will never break or show hesitation in battle. Don't think that they have more guts than skill. Since the Church of Urthina is powerful enough to enter the Red Ocean, its mech forces are definitely capable."
The Larkinsons in the meeting room studied the snippets of footage that Raella had prepared for them. They showcased the indomitable melee mechs flying forward and charging straight towards the first enemies in their sight.
It didn't matter if the opposition had prepared defenses. The Urthinan lancer mechs simply charged through any solid obstacle while the following mechs took advantage of the openings.
If there were any ranged mechs that were somehow out of reach to the Urthinan melee mechs, then the cannoneer mechs that always tried their best to keep up with the forward elements did their jobs and fired solid gauss rounds against tougher targets or expanding shrapnel rounds that could easily grind down elusive light mechs no matter how amazingly they danced in the air.
Commander Casella shared her own insight of their next adversaries. "One of the key reasons why the Glory of Urthina Battalion managed to defeat two of their opponents so easily is because its quick and overwhelming assault leaves little room for the enemy to think and form a response. By the time the overwhelmed defenders change their tactics, the Urthinan mechs have already broken into their core."
That was a scary scenario, but not an insurmountable one. The Larkinsons already knew what to expect, so it was impossible for them to be caught off-guard like this. That didn't mean they could allow the enemy to break through their lines.
Once the Urthinan mechs broke through the Larkinson Battalion's lines, it became a lot harder to get rid of the intruders! The Larkinson mechs would become less organized and make it easier for the Urthinans to cause further disruption.
"What I'm more worried about is that the Urthinans haven't shown their full capabilities." Raella said with obvious concern. "These Urthinans are fanatics, but that doesn't mean they're stupid. They might even be putting up an act to lull us in a false sense of security."
"What makes you say that, director?"
"Just look at the footage of their only defeat in the first round. They matched against a battalion that deploys mechs that are too fast for most of the Urthinan mechs to catch up. The complicated canyon battlefield also helped them out by limiting the movements of the lancer mechs and blocking much of the line of sight of the cannoneer mechs."
The Glory of Urthina performed rather brilliantly against two of its opponents, but lost so badly against another battalion that it was hard to respect the Urthinans.
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