Just as the soldiers of Nirvania thought that things couldn't get any worse, their hopes were dashed when they saw numerous Miranian troops rappelling from the airships. Their timings were impeccable, as they picked the right moments to descend when the magicians' barriers were lowered in their counter fires.
Though risky as they put themselves in the line of fire, the huge risk paid equally huge dividends as the Miranian paratroopers held the element of surprise in their rapid descent. These paratroopers were not ordinary soldiers, as they were all trained in the arts of assassination, since a substantial number of them were from Miran Z, Miran's Black Ops team.
Consequently, the Nirvanian defence bases were steadily overwhelmed one by one as Miranian soldiers struck swiftly and mercilessly. Upon hearing the news of the sudden paratrooper assault, Chief General Hargreaves cursed, "Darn, Janna was right! There're so many of them all over the place now and they are swarming our bases like locusts! If our anti-air defences fall, the fate of our city is sealed! Get me Arkad on the line now!"
The magician next to Chief General Hargreaves quickly linked him up telepathically with Arkad. General Hargreaves ordered in his mind, "Arkad! Gather your men from the 6th Division and get them to defend our anti-air defence bases immediately! We cannot afford to lose them or else our city will be subject to unopposed destruction!"
Arkad replied back telepathically, "Yes sir, wilco. I'll get my guys to spread out immediately." As Arkad raced down the streets, he rallied, "Pass down this message from me! All 6th Division soldiers not involved in the evacuation of civilians are to spread out and head towards the defence posts now! Our comrades require backup and protection from this unexpected assault. Let's go! For Nirvania!"
The 6th Division foot soldiers who had received the message began to relay the message down to their comrades as they rushed up the buildings to assist their comrades in the defence posts. It soon degenerated into a bloody struggle, as soldiers from Nirvania and Miran pitted against each other with weapons enhanced with mana armament.
Battle literally erupted everywhere, from the defence posts to even the streets as Nirvanian soldiers intercepted Miranian paratroopers who had landed away from Nirvanian defence posts. Despite the valiant struggles from the Nirvanians, who were clearly outnumbered, the momentum Miran had gained from its surprise assault was pivotal in tilting the scales of the battle to their favour, as defence posts were devastated and supply lines were cut.
All had looked bleak for the Nirvanians, as their resistance gradually faltered, with riflemen and gunners operating the cannons along the walls running low on ammunition due to the cut in their supply lines.
Just as all hope was lost, especially to the gunners on the walls of Nirvana who were the most isolated, an unexpected source of help arrived. A large group of brave civilians braved through the rain of fire and delivered the much needed ammunition that the gunners required.
One of them proudly declared, "This is our home, let us defend it too and help in whatever way possible." The captain on the wall, who was moved by the bravery of the people he was meant to protect, ordered resolutely, "Guys, if civilians can lay down their lives to fight for our home, all the more as soldiers of Nirvania we ought to fight harder! Let's get our guns cracking and show these bastards what we're made of! Fire!"
The cannons on the wall immediately resumed their assault, firing at a rate much faster than before as a steady supply line was built with the help of civilians, who had helped to reload and even fire the cannons with some crash course on the spot.
Assistance rendered by patriotic citizens did not stop at the cannons along the wall. Even at the defence posts, civilians were sending much needed ammunition in a reliable manner, paying no heed to their safety as they ran through explosion laden streets.
Others even participated directly in battle, jumping onto Miranian paratroopers selflessly to restrain them as their fellow Nirvanian soldiers executed the enemies with ease. With the influx of approximately a thousand civilians who had volunteered to participate in the defence of their homes, parity was restored between the Nirvanians and Miranians, albeit with immense bloodshed and intense fighting as hundreds of bodies sprawled all over the city.
Arkad had cut down several Miranian paratroopers as he secured yet another defence post. Arkad scanned his surroundings, feeling extremely motivated as he was spurred by the love his fellow citizens had for their country, willing to throw their lives if necessary.
Arkad swore to himself, "I won't let your deaths be in vain, it's time I do something about those annoying ships." Gripping his sabre tightly, Arkad muttered, "Rip through divine, [Fenrir]!" as his sabre morphed into a Kuan Dao.
Arkad's weapon emanated an aura of destruction as he leapt into the air, crying, "Eat this, [Crescent Moon Slash]!" as he swung his weapon down. From the arc of his swing erupted a blast of raw destructive mana that rushed towards its target.
A Miranian soldier on the ship yelled, "Sir, a huge blast of mana is heading our way, should we steer out of the way? If we don't act now, we can't minimise the damage done, sir!" The ship commander waved his hand in dismissal, snapping, "Don’t underestimate the barrier put up by the combined effort of 100 magicians. Just focus on the bombardment, we're in good position to do it now so why shift?"
However, to the horror of the ship commander and his aide, the blast easily tore through the barrier as it sliced the ship cleanly in half. The blast didn't stop there, it continued flying further till it shredded another 3 more ships that couldn't dodge in time as they were caught off-guard.
As the huge airships came crashing down in pieces, the Nirvanian magicians put up barriers to slow down the fall of the airships, giving time for their fellow troops on the ground to evacuate from the area of impact. The Nirvanians roared in delight as Arkad landed on the rooftop of a building, elated to know that their enemies were not insurmountable.
The boost in morale was pivotal as Nirvanian soldiers and citizens alike fought with greater vigour, as they were inspired by a glimpse of hope in achieving victory against their invaders. Before Arkad could take another swing to cut down an airship, he felt shivers down his spine as he heard someone mutter, "Forged by stars, [Gungnir]!"
Arkad's instincts proved to be vital as he narrowly avoided a beam of cosmic energy that bore a hole through his previous location. Arkad turned around swiftly, surprised to discover that his enemy was a young woman with long blue hair. It was Annabel, armed with a golden lance that was glistening with cosmic energy.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Annabel twirled her hair with her free hand as she declared arrogantly, "I'm Supreme Commander of the Miran Army, Annabel of the Centre. Judging your prowess, I deem you worthy of dying by my S-Class weapon, [Gungnir]. State your name, so that I may remember it if you are truly worthy."
Arkad replied calmly, "I'm Arkad, Commander of the 6th Division. Since you declare yourself as the rumoured Supreme Commander, I guess taking you down is my utmost priority right now." as he leapt towards Annabel, signalling the start of a clash between 2 S-Class weapon users.
Meanwhile, Eustace was rushing through the streets unopposed as he cackled uncontrollably, "Things are really going according to plan. Just as Annabel had predicted, there are hardly any forces near the palace, hehehe."
His 2nd in command, a man with bandages wrapped all over his body, with chains wrung tightly around his arms, spoke solemnly, "Yes, it's true that King Stormfury had mobilised most of his guards to assist in the war effort and evacuation of citizens, typical of his personality. However, let's not forget that there are still some powerful people with him. For instance, Baroness Janna, the vampire sorceress-"
Eustace interrupted him, "You worry too much, Judge! The King and his cronies are at most Master tier combatants, which our elite Miran Z members can handle easily. If there are any so-called strong opponents, there's both you, the anti-magic specialist and me, the final member of the 5 Pillars of Miran. I'll leave Janna and her vampire clowns to you, Judge."
Judge nodded gruffly as they approached their area of operations; the Royal Palace. When they were within close proximity of the palace, the remaining royal guards had detected their presence, as they sent one runner along to warn the King. The rest readied their rifles as they sent a flurry of bullets towards Eustace and his men.
To their horror, Eustace simply shifted his cloak in front of him as it mysteriously hardened like steel, resulting in the bullets bouncing off harmlessly. The other members of Miran Z pounced immediately on the hapless guards, decapitating them swiftly.
When the runner finally arrived at the conference room where King Stormfury was with his generals, he warned, "Your Highness! A group of powerful assassins are here! Please evacuate now! The power level of one of them felt on par…with a Saint!"
King Stormfury immediately shot a worried look, not for his own safety but for those who had swore their lives to protect him as he heard screams echoing through the pathways. Baroness Janna immediately turned to face King Stormfury, assuring, "Your Highness, I'll go and put an end to this wanton carnage now. However, I promised my husband that I would stay by your side to protect you…"
A voice suddenly called, "It's alright, Lady Janna! Elise and I would take charge of the King's personal safety on your behalf!" It was Frost, accompanied by Elise from G.E.M.S. One general shot a cynical look as he remarked, "You guys are nowhere near Sage tier unlike Baroness Janna and you want to take up the most sacred responsibility of defending the King? Don't joke with me!"
King Stormfury suddenly bellowed, "ENOUGH! I trust Frost's capabilities, after all, he's the twin brother of the Snow Witch, Freya. Go, Janna, and don't worry about me! Save as many people as you can!" Janna nodded, as she led her personal entourage of 2 other vampire magicians in the opposite direction from Frost, who led the evacuation of the King and the other generals.
Eustace was grinning widely as he cut down another guard with his sword, "Too easy! Can anyone offer me a decent challenge here, hehehe!" As the Miran assault was too overwhelming and rapid, a few Nirvanian Royal Guards decided to block their advance by casting simultaneously, "[Stone Wall]!" as they formed a gigantic wall blocking the entrance to the stairwell. The Royal Guards then pressed their palms against the wall, further strengthening it with their remaining mana.
To their horror, the wall started melting for an unknown reason as Eustace's hysterical laughter became increasingly audible. Before the guards could launch a counteroffensive, they were quickly decapitated by a sword that extended and slithered like a snake. As the guards dropped dead, the sword retracted and reverted to its original form and length as it was held by Eustace.
When Janna had arrived with her entourage, she was perplexed by the immense cruelty of her enemies as bodies were strewn all over the place, their necks leaking blood from slit wounds slowly as they formed puddles of blood. The whites of their eyes could be clearly seen as they were rolled up upon their death.
Despite her uneasiness, Janna pressed forward, hoping to put an end to such senseless killings. By a twist of fate, she came face to face with a group of shady men who were about to head in the direction of the King.
Janna shouted, "Halt! Your opponents are us, and in the name of the Red Sentinels, we'll stop you right here!" The man with red sunglasses, who appeared to be the leader, cackled, "Looks like it's show-time for you, Judge!" The man wrapped in bandages nodded as he quickly created a near-invisible force field around them, just as Janna's men were about to launch their offensive spells on the group from their staffs.
To their surprise, their spells extinguished before forming fully and before they could react, their heads were swiftly decapitated by long steel chains. Janna was stumped. Firstly, she felt that she had lost the ability to use magic and next, the sudden deaths of her men who were vampires with superior instincts, had caught her by surprise.
The man with red sunglasses quipped, "She's all yours, Judge! We won't spoil your 'trial'. Hahaha!" as he ran off with the other intruders. Judge nods silently before turning to face Janna, introducing himself, "I'm Judge, 2IC of Miran Z. Today, I'll give you a trial, a trial where magicians and non-magicians are treated fairly. Let's begin."
Janna gripped her staff nervously as she realised that she couldn't convert her mana into magic for some reason, bracing herself for the tough physical battle ahead.
Eustace and his remaining men were rushing up the stairs and was about to enter a cross junction when a large chunk of ice suddenly shot forth from his right, impeding their progress. It was Frost, who had conjured a [Glacial Spike] as a barricade to slow down the enemies' progress.
Frost yelled, "Elise, get his Highness and all the generals out of here, I would delay them as long as possible!" However, to Frost's confusion, the ice barricade he had set up melted rapidly as several shadows darted past both him and Elise, who actually returned to give him a hand.
Before Elise could give chase, a stone wall formed in front of her from her right, cutting her off from the King and the generals. It was a man with red sunglasses and spiffy cape who had placed his right hand on the castle wall where the stone barricade emerged from.
The man laughed hysterically before calming down, grinning, "I'm Eustace of the West and leader of Miran Z. You 2 seem rather strong, so both of you can entertain me by coming at me together, hehehe!"
Frost looked at Elise momentarily before turning back to face Eustace, jumping towards him as he muttered, "Chill through bone, [Frostfang]." Eustace squealed in delight as he barely ducked under Frost's blade before squatting down and pressing his palm down on the ground, conjuring a stone spear that shot upwards towards Frost.
Frost instinctively countered with his [Chill Touch] spell from his palm as he froze and subsequently shattered the stone spear with a swing of his sabre. Instead of simply watching the battle, Elise quietly but swiftly entered the fray as she drew a parasol from her back, as the parasol was soon revealed to have a hidden blade at its tip.
Elise lunged and unleashed a flurry of fierce stabs at Eustace, who defended himself with his cape that hardened like steel again. At the end of her assault, Eustace remarked, "Impressive. Your mana armament is pretty decent to break through the iron-hard defences of my cloak altered with my Enigma Ability." as he witnessed several tears along his cloak.
Elise remained silent as she raised her parasol, coated tightly with black mana armament, which colour was extremely intense, an indicator of its strength and concentration. Eustace grinned widely as his sword turned equally black before he lashed out, crying, "Come on, you guys can show me more, right? [Snake Sword]!"
Eustace's sword started extending as he swung it like a whip relentlessly, compelling Frost and Elise to devote all their attention to defending against Eustace's fierce blows.
Amidst the chaos of the battlefield, a knight dressed completely in lean black armour from head to toe was strolling down the streets of Nirvana nonchalantly, his face concealed by his helmet. The knight muttered to himself, "What chaos. Guess I should find the enemy general and wrap this up peacefully as soon as possible, huh?" as he continued walking down the street.