On the Eastern Front, facing the "Amaterasu" directed energy cannon array that Arasaka had established on a relatively open high ground, the Wraiths unit commanded by Colonel Hansen adopted a typical regular army coordinated advance tactic.
The temporarily upgraded power armor was not used as a spearhead for deep penetration, but was integrated into the overall offensive echelon.
Three power armors acted as mobile fire support points, deployed on the flanks and rear of the offensive line, their massive bodies half-crouching or utilizing the terrain to provide continuous heavy fire support for the advancing infantry.
"All units, deploy in Alpha-3 formation! Power armor team, prioritize taking out exposed enemy heavy machine gun positions and rocket launcher operators! Infantry squads, advance with alternating cover, utilizing shell craters and undulating terrain!" Hansen's orders were clearly transmitted to every squad and platoon via the tactical data link.
Arasaka's defensive positions reacted immediately.
Security forces deployed on the periphery of the array, relying on temporarily dug foxholes and barricades constructed from engineering crates, swept the charging Wraiths soldiers with dense automatic weapon fire.
Several pre-set firing points, equipped with heavy machine guns, spat out deadly tongues of flame, attempting to suppress the attack.
"Bang! Bang!" From within the Wraiths formation, soldiers equipped with new laser rifles began precise single shots.
Crimson high-energy beams, almost impervious to wind speed, instantly hit targets hundreds of meters away.
Even if the hit Arasaka soldiers were hiding behind cover, the lasers could easily burn through the weak cover material or their armor, leaving charred penetrating wounds.
At the same time, the power armors in the rear opened fire.
Their shoulder-mounted auto-turrets emitted short, muffled roars, as 20mm armor-piercing high-explosive rounds accurately landed on Arasaka's heavy machine gun positions, instantly tearing apart cover, weapons, and gunners alike.
The light laser cannons mounted on their arms continuously targeted individual enemies attempting to move or peek out to shoot, their efficient lethality significantly reducing the pressure on the infantry advancing from the front.
Arasaka's frontline commander clearly hadn't anticipated the enemy's firepower to be so precise and deadly.
"Power armor! Where are our power armors? Push forward! Block them!" Furious shouts came through the comms channel.
Several standard Arasaka power armors activated from behind the positions, their heavy footsteps shaking the ground.
They attempted a counter-charge, hoping to break the Wraiths' offensive formation with their armor advantage.
"Attention! Enemy power armors detected, four in number, directly ahead!" The frontline observer immediately warned.
"Power armor team, intercepting fire! Infantry, fire anti-armor rockets!" Hansen calmly ordered.
Two rockets, trailing white smoke, launched from the infantry squads and streaked towards the Arasaka power armors.
One power armor reacted swiftly, blocking one of them with its arm armor; the explosion only made it stagger, but the other successfully hit its leg joint, immediately restricting its movement.
It was at this moment that the combined firepower of the three power armors concentrated on them.
Armor-piercing rounds from auto-cannons, continuous scorching from laser cannons, and specially equipped small-caliber anti-armor rockets rained down on those Arasaka power armors.
The Arasaka power armor pilots discovered with horror that the enemy's firepower far exceeded expectations. Their armor rapidly sustained damage under the continuous assault, and the joint areas were particularly vulnerable. Most critically, the Wraiths' power armors seemed to possess some kind of additional protection—their attacks were often deflected or had some kinetic energy weakened by a faint, rippling blue aura before impact.
"They have shields! Our attacks are ineffective!" an Arasaka power armor pilot shouted in despair over the comms channel.
This was the technological gap.
The temporarily installed simple kinetic shields, while unable to completely withstand direct hits from heavy weapons, were extremely effective against small-caliber autocannons and rifle rounds, greatly enhancing the Wraiths' power armor's survivability.
One Arasaka power armor had its leg severed under concentrated fire, crashing to the ground, and was then completely destroyed by subsequent firepower.
Another attempted to charge but was continuously targeted by precise laser cannon fire on its head sensor array, becoming blind and flailing like a headless fly before also being quickly destroyed. The remaining two, seeing the unfavorable situation, attempted to retreat but were penetrated from behind by pursuing fire.
Having dealt with the enemy power armor's counterattack, the Wraiths' offensive pace became even more resolute.
Under the cover of power armors and precise laser fire, infantry squads swiftly cleared remaining infantry resistance, eliminating enemies behind cover one by one with grenades and assault rifles.
"Advance! Target, the 'Amaterasu' array's energy core and control system!" Hansen's command came through.
The troops surged onto the high ground like a tide.
Under the cover of power armors, engineers quickly approached the "Amaterasu" gun emplacements, which were accumulating energy and emitting a piercing hum.
They placed high explosives at critical nodes and then quickly withdrew.
"Demolition ready! Three, two, one, detonate!"
A series of massive explosions erupted from the high ground, and dazzling fire engulfed the enormous directed energy cannon components.
The huge metal structures twisted and disintegrated in the explosions, and burning debris flew in all directions with a whistling sound.
Arasaka's highly anticipated "Amaterasu" array was utterly destroyed by the Wraiths' standard combined arms, layered advance tactics before it could unleash its full power.
Colonel Hansen looked at the burning positions through his binoculars, his single eye devoid of any joy, only the cold resolve of a mission accomplished: "Clear the battlefield, tally casualties. Report to command, Eastern Front objective cleared."
— —
On the Western Front's coastal high ground, the Lazarus Mercenaries squad's operational style was distinctly different from the Wraiths'.
The five "assault squad - type vii" power armors, each with different paint schemes, did not form a tight formation.
Instead, upon receiving orders, they scattered like cheetahs smelling blood, using the power armor's powerful mobility to assault the "Take-Mikazuchi" Electromagnetic Railgun projectile positions from different directions, along the steepest and most difficult routes.
Their commander, code-named "Butcher," gave only brief instructions over the comms channel: "Free hunt, prioritize destroying gun emplacements and energy supply. Resolve within thirty minutes."
One Lazarus power armor chose the most direct frontal path.
His auxiliary thrusters on his back engaged at full power, propelling the three-ton steel body at an astonishing speed towards the barbed wire and obstacles on the periphery of the Arasaka position.
Arasaka soldiers fearfully poured bullets onto him, but the bullets hitting the kinetic shield in front of him only created ripples, unable to stop him in the slightest.
"Anvil" didn't even use his shoulder cannon; instead, relying on his momentum, he directly smashed through concrete barricades with his shoulder armor, which was fitted with a ram, and then raised his right arm's multi-barrel rotary machine gun, sweeping fire at the Arasaka soldiers behind cover.
The 12.7mm hail of bullets was like the scythe of death, instantly turning that area into a sea of blood.