The Demon of the Round Table

This article is about an in-game mission. For the in-universe event, see Operation Thunderbolt.

The Demon of the Round Table
Sorcerer Team entering Area B7R
Campaign Mission 16 Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War
Mission Order
Previous	The Talon of Ruin
Next	The Valley of Kings
Mission Details
Focus	Air-to-Air
Objectives	Enter Area B7R airspace.
Time Limit	20 minutes
Character	Cipher
Focus	Air-to-Air
Objectives	Destroy all enemy units.
Time Limit	Remaining time from initial stage
Character	Cipher

"There's no time to change course. Eliminate enemy forces in the Round Table and break through it."

― AWACS Eagle Eye

"The Demon of the Round Table" is the 16th campaign mission in Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War. The player must enter Area B7R for the third time on their way to Avalon Dam and battle a squadron belonging to A World With No Boundaries.

Briefing

We have confirmed that the aircraft that attacked our base belonged to the major rebel organization--A World With No Boundaries. This highly organized renegade army is comprised of soldiers from numerous countries including Osea, Sapin, and of course Belka. They are believed to possess a massive arsenal of weapons. The coup forces are gathered at Mund, in northern Belka, where they have confiscated the Avalon Dam facility from the Belkan army. What's worse, we've discovered that this facility houses an experimental V2 weapon. Unfortunately, it took us a long amount of time to uncover this information, due to the facility's location beneath the dam's waters. Proceed immediately to Avalon and destroy the V2 weapon. Note that B7R blocks your route from Valais Air Base to Mund. You will most likely encounter fierce resistance from the coup forces at both B7R and Mund. Remember to be prepared for attacks from land, air or elsewhere when choosing which aircraft to pilot. This mission will succeed upon the destruction of the V2 at the target area, and your safe return to base. Now go destroy that weapon, and come back in one piece. Anything else is unacceptable.

Objectives

Initial

The player must fly northwest until they enter Area B7R's airspace. AWACS Eagle Eye will detect an unknown squadron entering the area. The player will engage one of three squadrons depending on their Ace Style.

Mission Update

On the Mercenary Ace Style, the player will encounter Sorcerer Team's eight F-15 S/MTDs. They fly in pairs of two, so the player should attempt to shoot down each pair as quickly as possible to avoid getting surrounding. Each Sorcerer plane can fire two missiles at once; the player will incur a large amount of damage if they're hit by both missiles.

On the Soldier Ace Style, the player will encounter Gault Team's eight Su-47 Berkuts. They fly in one large swarm, which should give the player an easy opening to get an early kill at the start of the update. However, the player can quickly get caught in Gault's "golden nest", so they should attempt to fly away and attack from a distance if possible. Picking Gault off one-by-one will cause Gault's nest to fall apart, making it easier to dogfight with them.

On the Knight Ace Style, the player will encounter Wizard Team's four F-16XLs in one large group directly in front. However, as hinted at in the cutscene, four more aircraft will enter the fray: YF-23 Black Widow IIs equipped with stealth. The player must keep an eye on the radar when a missile is coming, since it may be fired from a stealth aircraft.

Once the player neutralizes all eight aircraft in whichever squadron appears, they will complete the mission.

Enemy List

The following enemy list is taken from the Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War Perfect Guide Book.

Section		Unit	Points	Count	Notes
Mission Update		F-15S/MTD "Sorcerer"	3480	8	Mercenary Ace Style
		Su-47 "Gault"	3520	8	Soldier Ace Style
		F-16XL "Wizard"	2790	4	Knight Ace Style
		YF-23A "Wizard"	3480	4

S Rank

Earning an S rank on this mission requires completing it in 8 minutes or less. This includes the time spent flying into B7R airspace as well as the dialogue at the end, so the player has about 7 minutes in practice to shoot down the enemy squadron. Since this mission only features one squadron dogfight, the player must rely on their skills and weapons to shoot down the enemies as quickly as possible.

Debriefing

Mercenary

It looks like you've made it through. An Allied Forces squadron approaching from a different route should be arriving at the rendezvous point anytime now. You can't return to base yet. After refueling in-flight, proceed to Avalon and destroy your target!

Soldier

It seems the coup force is serious. An Allied Forces squadron approaching from a different route should be arriving at the rendezvous point anytime now. There's no time to return to base. After refueling in-flight, get over to Avalon!

Knight

I never expected their defense network to be so strong. An Allied Forces squadron approaching from a different route should be arriving at the rendezvous point anytime now. It seems the Coup force isn't playing around. Maintain your present course and rendezvous with the Allied squad!

Trivia

• In the game files of Ace Combat Zero, the mission contains an unused music track named "m16b", a full version of the acoustic guitar remix of Glacial Skies featured in the Tokyo Game Show 2005 announcement trailer. The "-b" suffix implies that the song was originally meant to play as Cipher and PJ prepared to leave Area B7R, as it follows "The Demon of the Round Table" with its "-a" designation.
• All three squadrons use experimental aircraft. Wizard uses aircraft that both lost competitions: the F-16XL from the Enhanced Tactical Fighter competition and the YF-23A from the Advanced Tactical Fighter competition.