Although they reacted quickly, attempting to immediately converge and form a back-to-back defensive formation, it was too late.

The moment they turned their Armored Knights, the ground around them came alive. Armored Knights in dark green camouflage, covered by camouflage nets, burst from the ambush pits like demons from hell. Their speed was astonishing. In just a few breaths, they completely severed communication between the three 'Siegfried I' machines, isolating and surrounding them.

"Engage the enemy!" Despite being caught off guard, the battle-hardened Teutonic Knights did not panic. They immediately followed standard engagement protocol, raising their massive shields on their left arms for defense, while drawing their Armor-Piercing War Hammers—specifically designed to counter Armored Knights—from their backs. The Teutonic Knights intended to teach these unfamiliar enemy Armored Knights a lethal lesson with this new weapon, which had already earned the nickname 'Can Opener.'

However, they quickly discovered that the smaller enemy machines possessed agility far beyond what they had imagined.

One 'Hound Type 4,' leading the assault, sped toward one of the 'Siegfried I' machines. The dual sabers in its hands spun in a dazzling blur, successfully capturing the full attention of its opponent. Just as the 'Siegfried I' raised its War Hammer, preparing to crush the annoying small machine, another 'Hound Type 4' from the same squad quietly slipped into the Siegfried I's blind spot from the flank/rear.

By the time the Teutonic Knight realized it, a massive net, woven from some kind of high-strength composite material, had shot out from the flanking 'Hound Type 4,' instantly binding the 'Siegfried I' tightly. This specialized capture net could not hold a powerful Armored Knight for long, but it was more than enough to restrict the machine's movement temporarily.

As the 'Siegfried I' machine struggled desperately, the flanking 'Hound Type 4' closed in like a phantom. Its weapon was not a dual saber, but a short-handled War Hammer and a sharp shortsword. Its target was clear: it avoided all the thick armor and focused on the relatively fragile joint areas and the external engine armor plating on the back of the 'Siegfried I.'

"Bang!"

The short-handled War Hammer slammed onto the 'Siegfried I's' knee joint, producing a massive metallic impact. Although it didn't completely destroy the joint, the tremendous force made the steel giant stumble, losing its balance. The pilot of the captured 'Siegfried I' roared, forcefully twisting his torso. His Armor-Piercing War Hammer swept toward the flanking enemy with a whistling sound.

However, the 'Hound Type 4' displayed astonishing agility, quickly stepping back and narrowly avoiding the powerful blow. Seizing the moment the 'Siegfried I's' attack missed and its guard was down, the other 'Hound Type 4' charged in like a ghost from the other side. The shortsword in its hand, which had a strange shape, traced a cold arc, precisely piercing the complex joint structure exposed beneath the 'Siegfried I's' shoulder armor.

"Schick!"

The sharp blade severed the internal hydraulic lines and Magic Guided Muscle bundles. Fluids of various colors immediately sprayed out, like blood gushing from the Armored Knight. The entire right arm of the 'Siegfried I' lost all control and dropped limply. Its Armor-Piercing War Hammer clattered to the ground.

At the same time, fierce fighting erupted at the positions of the other two 'Siegfried I' machines. Although the other two 'Siegfried I' fought desperately, successfully destroying two overly aggressive 'Hound Type 4' machines with the power of their Armor-Piercing War Hammers and Armor-Piercing Lances, leaving horrifying penetration wounds in their cockpits, they were ultimately overwhelmed by the numerically superior and highly skilled enemy.

The 'Ranger' Squadron, using cohesive teamwork and tailored tactics, successfully disabled the three Teutonic Knights' Armored Knights in a very short time, completely restricting their mobility.

On the other side of the woods, the battle quickly became one-sided. Deprived of Armored Knight cover, the advancing Saxon infantry battalion instantly collapsed under the combined assault of the two 'Hound Type 4' machines and the elite infantry of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers.

These 'Hound Type 4' Armored Knights displayed greater agility than the Order of the Garter's 'St. George III.' Their efficiency in pursuing scattered infantry was astonishing. They rampaged through the battlefield, killing at will. Soon, the Saxon infantry battalion was completely routed, with the surviving soldiers discarding their gear and fleeing in disarray back the way they came. The Britannian soldiers and the two 'Hound Type 4' machines pursued for a short distance, then on Erwin's order, quickly withdrew to the 'man-eating' copse.

The fighting in the woods had ended. The three towering 'Siegfried I' Armored Knights lay immobilized on the ground, like giants stripped of their teeth and claws. The Armored Knights of the 'Ranger' Squadron expertly used their weapons to forcibly pry open the exterior armor of the captured Saxon Armored Knights' cockpits. The Teutonic Knight pilot inside, who had just angrily raised his sidearm for a final defense, was instantly killed by a single punch from a 'Hound Type 4's' mechanical arm, his body and the internal cockpit equipment crushed into a mass of mangled flesh.

Colonel Erwin jumped out of his own cockpit. He didn't even glance at the three captured 'Siegfried I' machines. As the most elite Armored Knight Hunter of Britannia, he knew clearly the technological gap between the Saxon Empire and the Holy Britannian Empire in conventional Armored Knight technology.

What truly interested him were the captured weapons. He walked up to the wreckage of a disabled 'Siegfried I,' squatting down to examine the strangely shaped Armor-Piercing War Hammer. The unique structure of the hammerhead, completely different from conventional war hammers, captivated him. He then walked over to the wreckage of his two defeated 'Hound Type 4' machines, looking at the two precisely circular penetration holes in the cockpit armor. The metal around the holes showed a peculiar melted state. He reached out and gently touched the smooth edge of the hole, his eyes flashing with a grave light.

"So… this is the Saxon's new weapon."

"An armor-piercing round that can penetrate an Armored Knight's front armor in an instant. No wonder the Order of the Golden Fleece and the Order of the Garter were shattered in frontal combat…"

"But from this moment on, this will no longer be a secret."

The ambush against the Saxon Armored Knights concluded with a decisive victory for the 'Ranger' Squadron. Colonel Erwin did not linger. He knew Saxon reinforcements would soon arrive. He immediately ordered his unit to clean up the battlefield and secure the most critical spoils of war—the intact Armor-Piercing War Hammer and one Armor-Piercing Lance. He also had them dismantle and collect samples of several key structural components from the destroyed 'Siegfried I' machines, finally taking the wreckage of their own two destroyed Armored Knights before quickly retreating from the copse.

Just as he predicted, the news of the Saxon infantry battalion ambush and the loss of the three Armored Knights quickly reached the rear. Hecther, the Teutonic Knight Squadron Commander who was on supply line patrol, was enraged upon hearing the news. He immediately assembled all the remaining Armored Knights in his squadron and, coordinating with a nearby infantry regiment, charged toward the scene of the incident.

However, by the time they reached the copse, the battle had long ended. They were greeted only by a scene of utter devastation and a pungent smell of blood and oil mixed together. The woods were littered with Saxon soldiers' bodies. Aside from those killed by bullets, many mutilated corpses showed clear signs of being killed by Armored Knight melee weapons.

Soon, Hecther also saw the wreckage of the three 'Siegfried I' machines lying on the ground. After confirming the surrounding area was secure, Hecther jumped out of his Armored Knight and quickly rushed to one of the wrecked machines. When he saw the violently pried-open cockpit and the unrecognizable remains of his comrade—who was one of his best pilots—his eyes filled with an uncontrollable surge of anger.

"Scoundrels!" Hecther let out an angry roar, slamming his fist fiercely onto the cold armor of the 'Siegfried I' with a loud crash. As a typical 'Knight-type' officer of the Teutonic Knights, he valued the honor of the Knights and camaraderie more than his own life. Watching his comrades die in such a humiliating manner was a profound shock.

However, anger was not the solution. After a meticulous survey of the scene, Hecther quickly regained his composure. He examined the combat traces left behind and the number of spent Shaped Charge Armor-Piercing Weapon shells, quickly deducing a possibility that made his heart pound.

"No… there were three of our machines, but only two fragments of the Armor-Piercing Lances and two fragments of the Armor-Piercing War Hammers were found…"

"The numbers don't add up." Hecther muttered to himself, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. What did this mean? It meant the Britannians had likely captured a completely intact set of the Shaped Charge Armor-Piercing Weapon!

This realization sent a chill through Hecther. He, more than anyone, understood the significance of the Shaped Charge Armor-Piercing Round to the Teutonic Knights. This revolutionary technology was their biggest ace and advantage against the Britannian Order of the Garter Knights. If this technology fell into enemy hands, the Teutonic Knights' weapon superiority would vanish immediately, and they could even be surpassed.

"This must be immediately reported to the General Staff!" General Mackensen ordered decisively. "At the same time, we must figure out how to counter this."

"General, what should we do?" Leónidas, the Grand Master, asked. "Should we utilize the advantage of the Shaped Charge Armor-Piercing Weapon to maximize our gains before the Britannians complete reverse engineering?"

"That is one option, but we cannot be reckless because of it." Mackensen shook his head, pacing back and forth in the command post, his mind racing. Suddenly, the image of a young man flashed through his mind. Simultaneously, the 'Golden Lion,' Grand Master Leónidas, standing opposite him, also thought of the exact same person.

The two exchanged glances, seeing the same answer in each other's eyes.

"Friedrich Morin."

"The inventor of the Shaped Charge Armor-Piercing Round… the man who always creates miracles." Leónidas spoke first. "Perhaps, besides issuing a warning to the General Staff… we should also ask him for his opinion."

"You are right, Grand Master Fortis. I agree with you." General Mackensen nodded firmly, then immediately turned and shouted to the staff officer at the door: "Inquire at the Operations Department! Find out the current location of the Imperial Guards First Instruction Assault Battalion!"

"Yes, General!" The staff officer ran out immediately.

Before long, the staff officer rushed back breathlessly.

"Reporting, General! According to information from the Operations Department, the Instruction Assault Battalion has already reached the front line of our Army Group's assault! According to the operational plan, they must have already been committed to the fight to breach the enemy's trenches!"

(End of this Chapter)

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