Chapter 212: Saturation Bombardment and Ground Offensive

At the same time.

In low Earth orbit, about 300 kilometers from the Olympus Mountains on Mars, the Atlas Fleet had already aimed the fronts of their ships at the mountain range. Each ship had locked onto high-value targets in advance, using the intelligence provided by the hunters.

Aboard the central flagship, Future:

"Captain! The hunter team is requesting bombing support. Their position has been compromised, and they can't use regular means to retreat!"

Upon hearing the communications officer's report, the captain, seated at the command chair, pulled up the real-time location of Breya and her team. He issued the following orders:

"Inform Lieutenant Colonel Breya to maintain a safe distance. Also, notify all ships that once the main cannons are fully charged, we will commence the first salvo in 10 seconds, followed by a secondary cannon barrage 20 seconds later.

"Helmsman, as soon as we breach the crater, begin a nuclear bombardment. I want those ignorant fools turned to ash!"

"Yes, sir!"

The crew responded in unison.

The helmsman then started counting down:

"Main cannons charged. Ten,

Nine,

Two!

One!"

Ri~—Zhoo—!!!

The instant the helmsman's words fell, a dazzling blue light burst forth from the front of the ship, visible through the bridge's observation window.

A 1.4-ton tungsten needle, having been accelerated by a 300-meter-long magnetic rail, shot toward the Olympus Mountains 300 kilometers away at nearly 0.1% of the speed of light.

Boom—!

The thin Martian atmosphere, unable to withstand such immense force, was torn apart. The blazing projectile streaked through the air, striking the meteorite impact crater atop the mountain.

Boom—Kraaaash—!!!

The violent impact caused rocks, dust, and debris to explode outward, like a man-made volcanic eruption.

Boom—Boom—!!

Five enormous plasma cannon blasts followed immediately, working in tandem with the initial tungsten projectile to tear open and melt the crater.

And that wasn't the end.

The plasma turrets of the Phaedrus and Selene classes rained a dense barrage of blue plasma "rain" onto the crater.

Once the first salvos from the main and secondary cannons were complete, the helmsman lifted the protective cover on the control panel and input the firing command for the next phase of the operation.

With everything set, he proceeded to press about one-third of the red buttons.

Whoosh. Whoosh!

Missiles carrying tactical nuclear warheads shot out from both sides of the ships, trailing white exhaust as they flew toward the crater.

Then—

Zhoo~!!!

One by one, miniature "suns" rose from the surface, instantly vaporizing and disintegrating much of the fallen gods' palace complex, sparing only the southern area.

At this point, the Atlas Fleet had completed the bombardment, restoring the usual silence of space. However, the crater they had just struck was still roiling with the aftereffects of the assault, with residual energy reactions permeating the surface.

Gods?

Can gods withstand humanity's nuclear fusion?

Looking at the still-smoldering crater through their control panels and holographic screens, the fleet crew felt no fear or reverence for these so-called gods. 

Perhaps they had been with the company for too long, witnessing too many supernatural phenomena. The crew instinctively believed that if gods truly existed, they would be their boss.

At this moment.

The captain, still seated at the command chair, focused his attention on the various real-time updates before him.

Seeing that Breya and the hunters' statuses remained in the green, with only a few marked as lightly wounded in yellow, he looked away and issued further orders:

"Inform all combat personnel that they may now land on Mars. Also, notify the carrier squadrons to join them in the atmosphere and assist in clearing out the remnants of the fallen."

"Yes, sir!"

Outside the bridge.

The Future and five Selene class ships adjusted their angles, positioning their underbellies toward the crater in the Olympus Mountains.

Then—

Zhoo! Zhoo! Zhoo!

Thousands of single, medium, and large-sized drop pods shot out from their respective ships, trailing exhaust as they accelerated toward the Martian surface like shooting stars.

Hundreds of White-Legged Falcons, unmanned drones, and a few Phantom III fighters from the carrier squadrons also launched from the ships via airways and pressure chambers, entering the atmosphere ahead of the drop pods, heading straight for the crater that had just been subjected to saturation bombing.

Inside one of the Phantom III cockpits:

"Fifty kilometers to the target."

"Confirmed, fifty kilometers."

The pilot seated in the front exchanged simple communications with the gunner in the rear.

The gunner's helmet screen had already generated a 3D model of the palace complex, showing real-time information like "Structural Integrity: 12%" and "Point 03.06: High heat signatures detected."

Seeing this, the gunner immediately locked onto the survivors of the bombardment, the remnants of the fallen scum.

Beep-beep.

The locking confirmation sound echoed, and the gunner pulled the red trigger, firing a barrage of air-to-ground missiles toward the palace complex.

After a brief moment—

"Target hit."

The voice of an electronic female echoed through the headset.

Confirming the hit, the gunner wasted no time and continued locking onto the remaining targets using the fire control system.

Zooming out from the cockpit.

From above, the entire Olympus Mountains region appeared in ruins, ravaged by the fleet's bombardment. The palace complex was further devastated by the carrier squadron's relentless assault.

The twisted creatures that had attempted to chase down and capture Breya and her team had no time to comprehend what was happening before they were "cleansed" by the extreme heat and plasma of the attacks.

Even the remaining fallen gods, unable to understand what had befallen them, saw nothing but a flash of white light as their bodies disintegrated and their souls were forcibly expelled to the warp.

Faced with the relentless onslaught of the carrier squadrons, they were unable to mount any effective counterattack.

At this moment.

Various drop pods successfully breached the atmosphere and landed in the still-cooling crater.

Boom! Boom!

The doors of the single-person drop pods popped open first.

Thud! Thud!

Fully armed ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Troopers) "hit the ground running," charging into the ruins of the palace complex, advancing steadily toward the southern region.

Although they encountered sporadic resistance, their Gauss rifles and BFG plasma guns tore through the twisted creatures with ease, with the BFG's performance standing out.

Afterward, the main force, consisting of the Rapid Response Unit and Tyrants, began their full-scale sweep.

Even small hover-tank vehicles accompanied the main forces, providing ground-based fire support.

Meanwhile, Saint Gilles and Horus, who had also participated in the orbital drop, did not join the mission to rescue the uncorrupted Greek gods or clean up the remaining scum. Instead, they sped directly toward the central temple where Zeus resided, moving too fast for even professional equipment to track.

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