The Warden Units recalibrated instantly, switching targets to the golems, but the golems were built for swarm control. Their armor was thicker, and they possessed heavier strikes since they do not care about their physique at all...
Within moments, the tide shifted.
The exosuit operators regrouped behind the golems, using their bulk as cover while recharging their shields.
"They came in clutch..." Austin muttered. "If those golems hadnât arrived, the Warden Units wouldâve wiped them."
Shane didnât respond but he agreed to the manâs words...
Still, the bait had worked.
The enemy had committed their heavy units and golems.
Now it was time for Max, the gladiators, and others...
***
The ground shook again... but this time, it wasnât from the mortars firing at their shelter...
It was Max.
The Human Juggernaut stepped past the outer gate, his Voidpiercer Gauntlet was already in his hand... The Tempest Cloak was also there, helping him deflect the heat caused by the mortar shell explosions.
"Just focus on Lesley..." Shane said through the comms. "Donât let her sneak in that Petrification. If she gets time to focus, weâre done..."
Max didnât answer. He already knew his job, so he swiftly ran for several seconds before he used his Armored Dash to cover a few meters... Just from that, he already reached the range of the Golems and Heavy Unit team wearing Exosuits.
However, he just ignored them completely. Instead, he let Minerva and the others keep them busy... He continued running with his Agility Boots, and as he got into range, he activated Thunderstep.
A surge of Spirit Energy burst beneath his feet, launching him forward like a cannonball. The ground cracked, and dust exploded as he covered 50 meters in the blink of an eye!
It was a straight line, so he really had to be careful on this matter. He was still quite far from the Siege Weapons, but he didnât mind and continued charging...
The enemies thought he was suicidal since they still had other heavy units and fourteen squads of elite Survivors waiting for him.
But Max was the Human Juggernaut for a reason... More golems appeared to stop his advancement but soon, his Armored Dash had its cooldown completed and was used again...
He then followed it up with his Jump Skill and covered another 20 meters or so.
It didnât take long before he got to his desired range!
Two scouts from Squad 9 were knocked off their feet, stunned by the impact of his Thunderstep!
"Haa!"
Soon, Max swung his other weapon, an oversized cleaver that was also an Legendary Grade Weapon!
Boom!
Thanks to Titanâs Grip, he wielded it one-handed, his other arm free to punch, block, or grab!
A strike landed on a golem! The creature flew backward...
Then Max activated Iron Pulse.
His armor surged with energy. A shockwave rippled outward, interrupting active Skills within 30 meters. Barrier fields flickered.
A Flamecasterâs ignition, however, still activated as they were using machines for their flamethrower...
However, the golemâs movement stopped as the casterâs skills were disrupted!
[ Iron Pulse Activated: Defense +300% Skill Interruption Radius: 30m Duration: 10s ]
With the activation of this ability, the Gladiators also charged forward!
Their only aim was to destroy the mortar system that was out of range of their Mk.V!
After all, with this mortar system, they would get into trouble sooner or later!
Josephâs Gladiators surged forward as they also used their Armored Dash and various other skills to reach Maxâs side...
Austinâs Super Soldiers followed, flanking the charge with their suppression fires using their rifles and grenades to confuse the enemies...
Elsa and Lily also came in as they raised their hands.
A wave of water surged from Elsaâs palm, dousing the flames from the Flamecaster Division. Lily followed with a gust of wind, redirecting toxic smoke away from the advancing units.
"Cover Max!" Minerva called out from the tower.
Her sniper rifle shot once... then twice. Each shot struck a scout trying to flank the Juggernaut. Although her sniper rounds werenât enough to deal with the Siege Weapon, it was still enough if she only targeted the Survivors...
Max blinked forward... It was Tempest Cloakâs short-range teleport activating. He reappeared behind another Survivor, and this time, his Iron Pulse finally covered Lesley as well!
She was about to activate her Petrification Gaze when she felt that she couldnât access her Skills!
"Ho~ So this was your plan... No wonder you were so desperate just now..." Lesley muttered to herself as she realized Maxâs special ability.
***
In the meantime, while Max tore through the backlines, relying on his high defense and armor, the battlefield behind him was also heating up...
Austinâs Super Soldiers had split into fireteams, each one trained for urban suppression and squad-level disruption.
They didnât charge blindly as they actually flanked Squads 1 through 8. Their rifles shot in bursts, targeting squad leaders and medics.
Grenades were also used, scattering the squad formations and forcing the standard infantry to retreat behind temporary barriers.
"Suppress Squad 6 and 7..." Austin ordered. "Keep them off Maxâs back."
His team responded instantly, as two grenades detonated near a mobile station. It sent the enemy engineers maintaining the mobile barrier generator into a nervous state...
An enemy scout tried to launch a drone, but Minervaâs sniper round clipped the device from afar!
Meanwhile, Josephâs Gladiators had a different mission.
They werenât here to hold the line... They were here to break the Gravedigger!
"Push forward!" Joseph shouted. "Weâre going for the mortar!"
The Gladiators surged past the outer skirmish, using Maxâs disruption as cover!
Their armor was lighter than the exosuits, but since they had been working together for quite some time, their coordination was flawless.
One Gladiator threw a smoke grenade to blind the turret sensors.
Another activated a terrain-slicing Skill, carving a trench toward the crawlerâs flank...
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Gravediggerâs mortar system fired again as a series of shells slammed into the Aegis Barrier, dropping its integrity closer to zero at this point...
"Weâre running out of time!" Shane warned.
Joseph didnât hesitate and gave his command... "Grenade volley... Now!"
Three Gladiators finally lobbed specialized bombs!
They were grenades designed to stick to metal and fry it up!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Siege Weapon shuddered as the mortar barrel finally tilted off-target...
The Gravedigger wasnât destroyed yet, but they were getting there!
Unfortunately, as they planned to continue... They realized that their bodies were turning into stone!