Oliver was paying attention to the ships that appeared above them. Each looked like leviathans of steel and iron, with a grotesque and disordered structure that was simultaneously imposing.

Isabela, Katherine, and Alan had not yet realized what was happening, but as soon as they noticed Oliver lagging behind, the trio grew concerned and looked toward where he was gazing.

The three stood agape, paralyzed before the ships. The main ship closest to the city seemed to be made entirely of irregular steel plates, glued and hammered together without any symmetry or design, yet strangely, it seemed to function. Red lights flashed in various parts of the ship, firing lasers that flew toward the city.

They could see several hatches on the ship's opening, and finally, a salvo of missiles was launched. If that hit them, the city would be over. However, the missiles exploded a few kilometers before hitting any of the buildings, revealing an aura of energy that protected the city.

"Z-Crystal Barrier," Oliver recalled having one in New San Francisco. "This won't last, not against those ships."

"Don't stop; we must get into the city and use the teleporter. Evacuate as quickly as possible," Oliver shouted.

As he spoke, the wind from the explosion finally reached the four of them, blinding them with the amount of snow expelled. They had difficulty continuing forward, but they knew the direction of the city.

UARRK!

They heard the cries of Orks advancing through the blizzard.

The noise was the signal needed to reawaken the group, who dashed forward despite the gale ahead.

Even with their helmets protecting their faces, seeing more than a few inches ahead was difficult.

BOOM BOOM BOOM

Another barrage struck the city's defenses.

"Damn, damn," Oliver thought as he ran.

Finally, the snow settled, and the wind helped the four see this time. They were no longer near the geyser areas but at the base of the hill leading to the security gates. However, this time, there were not only recruits mapping the region.

In front of them lay a vast battlefield. Soldiers and officers confronted the Orks to try to give the recruits a chance to escape. However, the battle was unfair; there were four Orks for every soldier on the field.

Not to mention the differences in power. Each officer had at most their Artificial Armor and a Ranger Weapon, while the Orks were larger and stronger. Although their skins were still gray, Oliver could tell they were not Pawn-level opponents. There was a horde of Orks, and all of them must be at least Knight-level. It was obvious that this battle would soon be lost.

Along the battlefield, the number of scattered bodies was quite shocking—some Orks, but many more human bodies, most of those in recruit uniforms. It was simply countless. They didn't stand a chance against the Orks. Almost none of the recruits had ever encountered a Knight-level enemy.

‘Please, let Astrid be okay,’ Isabela hoped she wouldn't find the red-haired girl lying on the battlefield.

"Try not to engage; attack, create distance, and move forward," Oliver explained.

They didn't need the orders; however, the boy also spoke to convince himself.

Oliver and the group moved to the left side of the battlefield, trying to avoid entering the center of the fight. Luckily for them, many Orks had their backs turned to them, allowing them to hinder several before being noticed. However, they couldn't keep taking advantage of the surprise forever.

As they ventured further into the combat zone, some Orks began to spot them. Oliver always aimed to shoot at their legs or faces; his shots often weren't enough to eliminate them but incapacitated and removed them from combat. However, when it was a Knight-level Ork, he needed the support of Katherine, Isabela, and Alan to take it down.

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They were close to reaching the middle of the field when a new blast drew their attention.

PTIU BOOOM

The group looked toward the city's defenses; however, no explosion was coming from there. Instead, the ship above them seemed to have taken the hit. Alan tapped Oliver's shoulder, pointing to the mountains.

Six Titanbound Mechas were positioned, each firing missiles and lasers at the ship closest to the city.

The ship started to suffer from the hits as soon as their firing began. Initially, some steel plates began to loosen and fall off; then, it was possible to see a small fire starting on the ship until it completely lost lift.

"It's not going to fall here, is it?" Isabela asked, slightly desperate.

"Seems like it will!" Alan replied.

The enormous ship began to lose altitude; however, instead of landing, it nosedived straight to the ground, right onto the battlefield.

"Run!" Oliver and Katherine shouted. They broke away from their opponents without a second thought and continued running toward the base entrance. Nonetheless, the falling ship created even more chaos, with soldiers, officers, and Orks scrambling to escape the impact.

Oliver felt claustrophobic with the number of people trying to squeeze through to advance and escape the impact.

THUMP

The ship hit the ground without exploding; however, it dragged along the ground where it landed, destroying everything in its path. Dozens of soldiers and officers, as well as hundreds of Orks, were crushed instantly. It continued scraping along the ground until it reached the bottom of the hill.

However, there was no time to catch their breath. As soon as one ship fell from the sky, another approached, and anyone looking above the city could see that several others were approaching the battlefield.

As Oliver, Katherine, Isabela, and Alan squeezed through the soldiers to get past, some soldiers and officers began returning to the front lines; they knew it wasn't over yet—they needed to hold the front a little longer.

When the group finally managed to escape from the crowd, they were on one of the narrower side streets.

"Do you remember where the teleport center is?" Oliver asked the others.

"It was—it was past the main square; going straight, you can see the bunker with the teleporters," Katherine replied while trying to catch her breath.

"It will be crowded; if the soldiers are still trying to hold the advance, it means they can't escape yet," Alan commented.

"It doesn't matter for us. If we stay here, we'll only get in their way," Oliver remarked. "What are the chances of us receiving support?"

He asked everyone, but Isabela and Alan looked at Katherine. He didn't understand why they were waiting for her to answer.

"It depends; the NEA will act as a defense organization. In this case, they'll start deploying soldiers and Rangers into combat. In theory, it shouldn't take more than a few minutes," Katherine explained. "But the entire army, including the Great Houses, may take longer since a Senate vote is needed."

"We're talking about what—an hour? Two?" Oliver asked.

"Well, we're talking about the attack being only here," Alan explained. "If it's happening on more than one front, it could take longer."

"Fuck," the boy exclaimed. "Alright, let's at least head to the teleport building."

As soon as the group regained some breath, they resumed running, but they were just in time to witness the first disaster.

BOOM

There was another barrage of missiles, but only one exploded against the barrier this time. The others got through. The four were looking up when two missiles hit two buildings a few blocks away from them.

"My God," Isabela said upon seeing the two buildings collapse from the explosion.

They could hear screams coming from the city entrance. With the barrier finally down, Orks began entering the city streets. Several recruits took refuge in some buildings—some trying to hide, others not knowing how they would make it to the teleport area.

As the group moved from one street to another, they could hear the exchanges between several recruits.

"Let's hide; reinforcements should arrive soon."

"Yes, yes, we'll be saved."

"Don't listen to him; we need to flee. We have to run to the teleporter."

"They're overloaded; there's no way to evacuate everyone."

The conversation among them frightened the four; there might be nowhere to escape. However, they had finally returned to the main square without stopping to think.

"Just a little further ahead," Oliver said among them.

When he finished speaking, another rain of missiles hit several buildings near them, creating a massive cloud of dust and snow that spread across the square.

Some minor skirmishes were occurring throughout the square, with Orks, recruits, and officers fighting on all sides. Even so, they hadn't given up advancing, but before Oliver could take the next step—

"Watch out!"