Fated to Die to the Player, I'll Live Freely with My SSS-Class Ship!

Due to our little stunt, the war was forced to start immediately.

The Meyers Royal Fleet activated their warp drives, executing coordinated jumps to their designated positions with military precision. However, due to their hurried deployment, some of their forces landed right in the middle of pre-set traps laid by the Astoria Standing Army.

The result?

Another 10% of their fleet was wiped out in an instant.

Of course, the only reason I knew all this was because I had tapped into President Anderson's secure communications feed. His ship was receiving real-time battle reports, and I had conveniently inserted myself into the loop.

"But this is still bad..."

Despite losing over 20% of their forces before the war even truly began, the Meyers Royal Fleet still outnumbered us more than two to one.

If we fought head-on, the outcome was clear—we'd be crushed under sheer numbers alone.

Of course, this disparity in numbers wasn't due to the Astoria having too few personnel available. Rather, it's the opposite. They have too many who are scattered all over the entire universe that moving them takes too much time!

Across several fronts within the Astoraxia-001 system, skirmishes had already erupted. Some battles were going in our favor, while others were swinging against us.

This was an all-out war, and even I couldn't predict which way the tide would turn.

"Arthur!"

Eva's sharp voice snapped me back to reality. She quickly brought up a new feed on the main screen.

The space ahead of us had begun to ripple—the telltale sign of an incoming forced warp.

"We're detecting massive spatial fluctuations!" Her tone was laced with urgency. "It's definitely an enemy fleet!"

I nodded, my fingers tightening over the controls.

"Yeah… but judging from this size, it's not their main force."

Without wasting a second, I slammed the pedals forward.

The Brionac's targeting system locked onto the center of the spatial anomaly, preparing to fire the moment the enemy fleet appeared.

A sudden surge of energy crackled through the void—

And in the very next instant—

When the lead ship peeked out of the rippling space...

—FIRE!

With perfectly calculated timing, the Brionac's beam ripped through the enemy flagship before it even had the chance to stabilize.

The massive warship erupted into a violent, momentary explosion, scattering debris in all directions.

A second later, more enemy ships emerged—but they were noticeably smaller than the first one.

Cruisers. Battleships. No other Leviathans.

The actual commanding vessel had been destroyed on arrival.

"Oh? Was that the flagship?" I chuckled over the open channel. "What idiots."

The enemy fleet, suddenly leaderless, hesitated for a mere moment—a fatal mistake.

{FIRE!}

A unified command echoed through our comms.

A second later—

A blinding white light filled the VBA Module as a perfectly synchronized volley of laser fire rained down on the stalled enemy fleet.

And when the glare faded—

Nothing remained but scattered, half-melted debris.

Within moments, the entire enemy unit had been wiped out.

I exhaled, stretching my fingers over the controls.

"...Well, at least we got their leader."

Checking the updated star map, I watched as the red markers that had just arrived in our zone blinked out simultaneously—indicating total enemy silence.

However, my gaze quickly flicked back to the larger battlefield. Judging by the number of enemy and ally signals...

"Looks like the Astoria forces are being pushed back… as expected."

Turning to Eva and Cassandra, I made sure I had their full attention.

Taking a deep breath, I gave the next order. "Alright, begin the operation—Grave Sweeper!"

"ROGER!"

Eva's fingers flew over her virtual keyboard, her expression sharp and focused.

"Setting coordinates... Calculating path angle and trajectory... Complete!"

Even Cassandra joined in, providing support from the co-pilot's seat.

"Thrusters at 100% output! Range Falcon is ready at any time!"

"Good!"

I reached for the control panel, pressing several buttons in rapid succession.

"Activating Short-Distance Warp Modules! Countdown: 10… 9…!"

This was one of the main upgrades I had installed on the Range Falcon—

A Short-Distance Warp Module.

It allowed us to warp small distances instantly, from just a few hundred meters, up to 10 AU, even in the middle of a dogfight—a game-changer for evasion and tactical repositioning.

Of course, once we assembled all three Warp Nexus Fragments and created a proper Warp Module, this expensive 30-million-credit upgrade would become obsolete.

Still—

Having a lifeline in a fight was worth every credit.

"5! 4…!"

Blue sparks began crackling across the cockpit's visors.

Outside, the fabric of space itself started undulating—rippling like a disturbed water surface.

"2…! 1…! Zero!"

And in an instant—

The entire battlefield's view warped.

Light bent in an impossible way, shifting into an entirely new scenery—like the backdrop of a stage play being changed with a single pull of a rope.

After arrival, we didn't have time to digest the information before us.

Staying still in a warzone was equivalent to suicide, after all.

The destination we warped to was the next closest battlefield, roughly 1 AU away from the Military Hub we had left behind. This sector was currently losing ground, and without reinforcements, its defense would inevitably collapse.

"Eva! Cassandra!"

"I'm on it!"

"Y-Yes!"

As discussed beforehand, everyone moved quickly.

I controlled the Range Falcon, skimming the outer edges of the enemy's attack range, while Eva manned all turrets—even the broadside ones. Cassandra took charge of the Brionac, providing additional heavy firepower.

That's right. We were raining destruction on the enemy fleet—from beyond their effective range!

We maintained a distance of over 0.01 AU, meaning I only had to worry about their long-range weapons, significantly lessening the burden on us.

At the same time, I made sure to conduct a little "promotion." I tapped into the local channel for the Astoria Standing Army and announced our presence.

"This is Arthur Grail of the Knights of Camelot! We've come to provide support!"

In this war, I had no intention of fighting as Gerard. Instead, I would fight as Arthur—

Why?

Well, if I participated as Gerard Astoria, the President's son, we might receive respect and protection, but…

We wouldn't earn anything.

This was a war, after all.

And for mercenaries, war was the best way to make money.

High risk, high reward.

In fact, 15% of the Astoria forces consisted of commissioned mercenaries, while 28% of the enemy fleet was estimated to be hired arms.

The reason why mercenaries thrived in war?

Simple.

Bounty bonuses.

Every confirmed kill resulted in a payout from the faction that hired them.

The Astoria Conglomerate had deep pockets and wasn't afraid to spend big on mercenaries.

Their offer?

2.5% of a destroyed ship's total value.

For instance, a Frigate worth 200,000 Credits meant a 5,000 Credit bounty.

Meanwhile, something like my Range Falcon, valued at over 5 billion Credits, would fetch a bounty of 125 million if it were destroyed.

"More! Blast them to smithereens, Casey! The bigger, the better!!!"

"S-Sorry...! P-Please die...!"

Eva was clearly enjoying herself.

And honestly? I couldn't blame her.

Within the first minute, our confirmed kills amounted to a staggering 3 billion Credits worth of enemy ships.

That meant 75 million Credits in bounties—earned almost effortlessly and instantly.

Of course, the real MVP of this massacre was Cassandra.

The Brionac delivered most of the heavy damage, and while she hesitated at first, she quickly adapted.

Aim. Pull the trigger. Fire.

She repeated the process over and over, as if playing a shooting game.

After just ten minutes, the enemy fleet—hundreds of ships worth—was reduced to nothing.

No survivors.

No escapees.

"Confirmed clear. Setting coordinates for the next location!" Eva, not yet satisfied, quickly locked onto our next waypoint.

She looked ecstatic—and why wouldn't she be?

We had just earned over 300 million Credits in ten minutes.

Even after dividing the shares, that was still roughly 50 million each (before deductions).

"Alright, waypoint set!"

Not wanting to waste time or lose bounties to other mercenaries, I activated the Short-Distance Warp Module once more.

As before, we targeted a sector where Astoria's fleet was being pushed back.

Why only focus on losing battles?

Simple.

If we went to secured battlefields, we'd earn nothing but spare change.

But if we reinforced areas on the verge of collapse? We could claim the majority of the bounty by sniping the enemy from a safe distance!

The warp activated, sending us hurtling through space once more. Upon arrival, we quickly adjusted course, scanning the enemy fleet—

"Shit!"

I cursed instantly.

Of all places—

We had warped straight into an enemy formation of Leviathans.

Fifty massive warships, each with varying designs, loomed over the horizon.

Thousands of smaller ships—Corvettes and Frigates—swarmed like flies, blasting away at the Astoria fleet, rapidly depleting their shields.

A second later—

Warning sirens blared.

The cockpit lit up in red, and a system alert flashed along with Percy's urgent voice:

[Enemy targeting systems locked on!]

"Damn it! Taking distance!" I jerked the controls, maneuvering frantically to dodge. "Eva! Cassandra! Distract them!" I commanded.

But then—

The VBA Module displayed an incoming barrage of lasers, capturing the ship squarely in their sights.

Impact in 100 milliseconds.

A split second later—

I felt it.

The sinking realization.

'We're doomed!'