DID YOU KNOW? YOU CAN NOW READ THREE TO SIX CHAPTERS AHEAD. CHECK MY PROFILE FOR THE LINK.
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High above the chaotic streets of the capital, the sky belonged to Gabiru and his fiercely loyal Hiryu squad.
Having rushed to the front lines the second the spatial breach tore open, Gabiru's unit had been the very first team to make contact with the invading forces, briefly rendezvousing with Soei and his Shadow Squad right on the edge of the central district.
"Soei!" Gabiru had shouted over the roaring wind, his spear resting firmly over his shoulder. "Do as Sir Benimaru instructed and remain within the darkness! The Hiryu shall initiate the counter-attack against these foolish intruders!"
Souka, his sharp-witted sister, gave him a swift, measured nod from beneath her mask. "Be careful, Brother," she warned softly, before her form melted back into the shadows alongside the rest of Soei's covert operatives.
Now, Gabiru soared through the open sky at the head of his dragonewt warriors, his wings beating in powerful, rhythmic sweeps. Even as they maintained their high-altitude formation, a steady stream of high-speed [Thought Communication] hummed directly between Gabiru, Benimaru, and Soei.
"Sir Benimaru! Our information on Eldorado was right on the money!" Gabiru reported, his keen reptilian eyes scanning the massive, multi-colored legion flooding the avenues below. "From up here in the sky, we can clearly distinguish the different knight companies by the colors of their armor and crests! The Magic Knights of El Dorado are indeed leading the vanguard, some are charging well ahead of the heavy infantry, while others are holding position right behind them!"
While the mental transmission was still going on, Gabiru's group reached the optimal firing position directly above the advancing army's central column.
"All units, unleash!" Gabiru roared, thrusting his hand downward. "Show these golden invaders the true might of the Hiryu!"
In perfect, terrifying unison, dozens of dragonewt warriors opened their jaws and let loose their breath attacks. A devastating salvo of fiery dragon breath rained down from the heavens like a hail of apocalyptic meteors.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Instantaneous explosions and blinding flashes of destruction erupted across multiple sections of the enemy ranks. The sheer pressure of the breath attacks shattered cobblestones, sending waves of soldiers flying through the air and engulfing entire squads in roaring flames.
Down below, certain veteran platoons reacted just in time, raising shimmering magical barriers to absorb the brunt of the dragonewts' aerial bombardment, but the initial momentum of the invasion force had officially come to a grinding halt.
[xxx]
Geld marched at the absolute front of the High Orc phalanx, his colossal heavy shield gripped tightly in his iron hand. Behind him, the disciplined, heavy footfalls of the Yellow Numbers rattled the ground like a localized earthquake, while the Green Numbers, led by a fiercely roaring Rigurd, followed close in their wake, forming an unyielding wall of armored might.
High above, bright flashes of fire and thunderous explosions illuminated the sky as Gabiru's Hiryu squad delivered their devastating aerial bombardment. Smoldering craters now scarred the central avenues, and smoke curled upward from the scattered, disorganized ranks of the golden army.
Geld's eyes narrowed through the visor of his helm as he registered the enemy's temporary disarray. An opening.
"Do not give them time to reform!" Geld's deep, guttural voice echoed like thunder across the front lines. "Yellow Numbers, advance!"
Without wasting a single second of the momentum Gabiru had bought them, Geld surged forward, his massive frame picking up frightening speed. The High Orcs locked their towering tower-shields together, forming a moving, impenetrable fortress of steel and heavy muscle that plowed directly through the rising smoke.
Down the main boulevard, a platoon from the Red Knight Order had barely managed to raise their defenses against the dragon breath attacks when the earth beneath them began to violent shake. Before their magic casters could cast a single offensive spell, Geld smashed through their hastily erected barriers like brittle glass.
CLANG!
Geld swung his heavy shield, sending three fully armored magic knights flying into the air with enough force to dent their plate armor.
"Form the defensive wall!" Rigurd bellowed from right behind him, his massive axe swinging in a lethal arc as the Green Numbers closed the distance to flank the high orcs. "Protect the city! Hold the line!"
[xxx]
While the thunderous clashes of heavy armor and aerial bombardment echoed across the ruined central square, a far more surgical, lethal dance was unfolding along the eastern flank.
Hakurou moved like a ghost through the rising haze of smoke, his wooden cane resting casually in his hand. Beside him, Hinata Sakaguchi moved with practiced, icy grace, her long white tabard fluttering in the hot updraft, while Litus trailed half a step behind her, her comrade's spear held in a tight, two-handed grip.
"Their vanguard is attempting to establish a perimeter around the district plaza," Hinata noted calmly, her eyes cutting through the haze as her magical perception mapped out the heat signatures ahead. "The Blue Knight Order... support casters and tactical enchanters. If they finish setting up their amplification circles, the knights on the front lines won't tire out anytime soon."
"Then we had best be thorough, Lady Hinata," Hakurou murmured, his eyes closed as he matched her stride without the slightest hint of exertion. "A garden cannot bloom if the roots are infected with weeds."
They rounded the corner of the grand avenue to find a platoon of high-ranking Blue Knights chanting in rapid unison, surrounded by glowing magic circles that hummed with vast mana reserves. Before the enemy sentries could even shout a warning, Hinata was already among them.
With a flash of blinding light, her rapier, [Moonlight], cleared its scabbard. Her sword work was an art form of pure efficiency, three precise, lightning-fast thrusts pierced through three shimmering barrier barriers as if they were made of damp paper. The three leading casters collapsed before their defensive spells could even register the breach.
"Intruders!" a blue-armored commander bellowed, drawing his longsword and rallying his men. "Protect the ritual circle! Suppress them..."
Clang!
Litus surged past Hinata like a launched javelin, her heavy spear sweeping in a brutal arc that shattered the commander's sword at the hilt and sent him sprawling into his own men. "You are in the sovereign territory of the Jura Tempest Federation!" Litus declared, her voice ringing with the fierce pride of a Holy Knight fighting alongside allies she had once mistrusted. "Your invasion ends here!"
While Litus held the infantry at bay with a whirlwind of heavy spear strikes, Hakurou casually stepped toward the core of the magical formation.
A veteran knight, realizing the frail old man was an easy target, lunged forward with a magic-infused blade aimed straight for the Kijin's throat.
Hakurou didn't even open his eyes. He merely shifted his weight a fraction of an inch to the left, letting the blade whistle past his cheek.
"Slow," the old sword master whispered softly.
Crest-Water Slash.
The cane sword didn't leave its sheath for more than a microsecond, but a invisible wave of razor-sharp spatial pressure erupted outward in a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree circle.
The glowing ritual circles shattered instantly into harmless blue sparks, and a dozen Blue Knights slumped to their knees, their spellbooks severed cleanly in half and their armor cracked down the center.
"Messy execution," Hakurou commented, gently tapping the tip of his wooden cane against the stone floor as Hinata sheathed her rapier beside him. "Though effective enough."
"We'll move to the next," Hinata said, her gaze already fixed on the floating platforms hovering in the sky above. "Their main force is still descending."
[xxx]
Shuna's light, polished boots skimmed across the stone-paved streets of Tempest, her fluid movements effortlessly outpacing the surging pack of goblin riders thundering right behind her.
Led by a fiercely determined Gobta, the riders kicked up a storm of dust and gravel as they tore through the alleys. For a brief stretch, Shuna surged far ahead, her spiritual energy focused, before she deliberately slowed her pace to let the vanguard catch up and form a proper defensive-offensive formation.
According to Benimaru's tactical assessment, relayed swiftly down the network via Soei and Gabiru's meticulous scouting reports, the White Knight Order of El Dorado was deployed specifically as the enemy's backbone, responsible for field recovery, emergency triage, and large-scale healing magic.
As they rounded the corner toward the heart of the capital, the chaotic, metallic symphony of clashing steel echoed sharply from the central marketplace. Shuna let out a quiet, sorrowful sigh as she caught sight of the devastation. Beautiful storefronts, carefully curated market stalls, and weeks of arduous manual labor were already chewed up in the crossfire of the sudden invasion.
If the fighting is already that fierce in the square, Shuna analyzed coolly, her gentle eyes hardening with tactical resolve, then the White Knights will soon mobilize to push into the front lines and provide recovery efforts for their vanguard.
Her objective, and the objective of the strike force accompanying her, was crystal clear. destabilize the enemy's entire operation by systematically taking out their healers before they could stabilize their wounded.
Racing alongside the pounding hooves of the dire wolves, Gobta gripped his shortsword, his usual goofy demeanor replaced by a sharp, battle-ready intensity. He threw a loud, impressed shout over the din of battle.
"Man, you gotta hand it to Commander Benimaru!" Gobta yelled out, dodging a stray bolt of magic before grinning back at Shuna. "Even though the attack came completely out of nowhere and completely wrecked the morning schedule, he managed to instantly assess the whole mess, pull the defense together, and take total control of the battlefield! There's no way we're letting these guys trash our home!"
Behind him, the goblin riders let out a deafening, unified roar of agreement, their expressions fierce as they prepared to kick the enemy out of their city once and for all.