Their target: the lifeblood of the oasis, the vitrified water aquifer beneath Meymad Village. After the Emp Collapse, the ancient aquifers had been superheated, transforming the water into a dense, mineral-rich liquid – vitrified water. Meymad, a hydro-settlement built around this precious resource, was now the Juggernaut's prize. The siege had begun, a battle not just for land, but for the very essence of survival.
The soldiers fortified their camp, effectively cutting off any access to this precious resource. The war was no longer just a front-line affair; the back lines were under siege too.
Hazel, understanding the limitations of brute force against a foe so entrenched, chose a different path. Like a desert fox harrying a lumbering beast, she employed hit-and-run tactics, using the dunes and canyons as her allies. They harassed supply lines and ambushed outposts, inflicting chaos, but the Juggernaut's grip on the oasis remained as stubborn as a mule.
“Fire! Fire! Kill! Kill!” Hazel bellowed, as the tanks unleashed a relentless barrage of piercing armor and high-explosive shells. The air filled with the cacophony of explosions, a symphony of chaos that had the soldiers cheering for their determined commander.
For ten grueling days, the desert echoed with the sounds of war, the sand turning crimson with the blood of the fallen. Frustrated by the Serpent's elusive tactics, the Juggernaut ordered a brutal push toward Meymand Village, advancing like a monstrous iron tide, confident in their overwhelming numbers. The oasis was on the brink of collapse.
As the afternoon sun beat down, a sandstorm loomed on the horizon, a harbinger of chaos. Seizing the moment, Hazel led a daring night raid, using precise targeting data from previous skirmishes. The Serpent division unleashed a devastating barrage, targeting command centers, fuel depots, and their mobile repair bays, throwing the Sentinels into disarray. Panic spread like wildfire as their formation crumbled.
The battlefield was a chaotic and dangerous scene. The ground was torn up by explosions, made it difficult for the Stride tanks to maneuver. Some of these vehicles got stuck, and enemy soldiers started to fight back. A sudden and violent sandstorm reduced visibility to almost zero
In the heart of the chaos, Hazel faced the Juggernaut. Using EMP munitions, he lured the enemy commander into a dead-end and launched a thunderous strike, crippling the Juggernaut and forcing the Sentinels to retreat.
The next morning, with no enemy soldiers in sight, Hazel emerged from his tank, shouting “Victory!” The survivors cheered, but Nara raised a logical question: “Why don’t we chase them?”
Coughing, Hazel replied, “We’re out of ammo, and the terrain is a nightmare for our tanks.” she counted the remaining Stride tanks—only 18 left from the 40 deployed. The losses were staggering,
“Instead of chasing the enemy, let’s bury the dead,” Hazel decided. For two days, they collected bodies scattered across the battlefield, while grave robbers took advantage of the chaos. The battle was over, but the war was far from finished.
As they stayed at the oasis, news arrived of the Red Army Sentinels regrouping in the Lut Desert Canyon, heading toward Shahr-e-Yazdgerd. The Serpent division faced a serious threat, but hope arrived with Captain Tetsuya and his cloaked Buffalo tanks, ready to bolster their forces.
Hazel asked Tetsuya about the cloaked tanks. “They’re fast and have cloaking capabilities,” Tetsuya replied, a grin on his face.
With the Sentinels struggling to maneuver in the canyon, Hazel commanded the ambush. The nimble Buffalo tanks emerged from their hiding spots, surprising the enemy and creating chaos in their ranks.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
The battle raged on, the ruins of Shahr-e-Yazdgerd echoing with the clash of metal and the roar of engines. As the Juggernaut entered the fray, wielding a salvaged Gatling gun, the battlefield descended into complete chaos. The Serpent division now faced a new, powerful enemy, and the stakes had never been higher.
In the afternoon, a brutal stalemate unfolded as the Juggernaut's raw power decimated the Serpent division's technical vehicles, a massive loss that left them reeling. But the Juggernaut's lumbering movements made him a prime target for ambushes. Seizing the moment, Hazel orchestrated a clever counterattack, using the ruins for cover and flanking routes. Both sides suffered heavy losses, the battlefield littered with wreckage and the fallen.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, a sandstorm rolled in, swirling chaos around the combatants. Both sides took cover, the furious winds and abrasive sand forcing a temporary ceasefire.
When the storm finally subsided, the battlefield was a grim tableau of destruction. Over 200 Sentinels and 60 technicals lay broken, while the Juggernaut emerged, scarred but undeterred. He and Hazel exchanged a nod of mutual respect, acknowledging the heavy toll of their conflict.
The next morning, both sides remained entrenched, exhausted and demoralized. The Juggernaut bellowed a challenge but hesitated, his confidence shaken. He turned and led his remaining Sentinels away, leaving the battlefield to the ghosts of the fallen.
Atop the canyon, a royal officer proclaimed, “We stand among the ghosts of giants, survivors of the storm of steel. The sand remembers every scream, every sacrifice.”
Hazel, unimpressed, muttered, “We’re not losing everything,” before retreating to his tank, where he found Yu playing with their puppy, Gazz.
Later, as they returned to Kavir Oasis, they passed a graveyard of fallen soldiers, both friend and foe. Looters were already at work, but Hazel and Yu were too drained to intervene. They pressed on, weary but resolute.
Suddenly, intel from a drone warned of a Sentinel group trying to intercept them. Hazel ordered his fastest Strider tanks to secure the road ahead. Upon reaching a sandy crossroad, they prepared an ambush, but Hazel had a moment of oversight—he forgot to reload their Strider tanks.
In a desperate move, Hazel slammed the engine into overdrive, unleashing a dust storm that enveloped the battlefield. The Sentinels, caught off guard and disoriented, stumbled through the chaos. With limited ammo, Hazel launched a series of targeted attacks, exploiting their confusion.
As the ammo ran low, Hazel ordered a retreat. Just then, four Buffalo tanks arrived, charging into the fray. Switching to a Buffalo himself, Hazel led the charge against the Sentinels.
Thesand storm retreated, leaving behind a wasteland of twisted metal and shattered dreams. The Juggernaut and the remaining Buffalo tanks stood as silent sentinels amidst the carnage, two titans locked in a weary stalemate.. The nimble Buffalo danced around the Juggernaut's thunderous blows, scoring hits on his armor.
The sentinels, being caught off guard and disoriented by the blinding storm, they become confused and disoriented and started to stumble through the sandstorm. The radar becomes useless as it is unable to function properly. With the limited remaining ammo, Hazel then start using pre-calculated coordinates in order to launch a series of targeted attack against the sentinels at the cross road. This was an effective tactics, due to the fact that the sentinels are disorientated and unable to react accordingly.
Now that their ammo has been depleted, Hazel then orders to fall back and regroup with the rest. As they were turning around. Four buffalo tanks had arrived and attacking the sentinels. Hazel then quickly change his tank, as he switched to the buffalo tank. Then strider tank then fall back. The buffalo tanks then continued their attack against sentinels, while the strider tank retreat to regroup.
The sandstorm slowly start disappearing, revealing the aftermath of the battle. The battlefield is now completely transformed, as the wreckage of both friend and enemy now littered the sand, and the smell of burning oil hung heavy in the air, as the dust slowly settle down to the ground. At the heart of the carnage, Buffalo tanks and the Juggernaut now facing each other, the two titan are now facing each other in the dying light of the setting sun.
Buffalo, which is nimble and swift, now has been dancing around the Juggernaut's thunderous blows of his anti tank weapon, the buffalo is now scarring the Iron Khan's armor, which is becoming more and more evident the more the battle goes on. The Juggernaut wields his Gatling gun, now the he is not only firing the debris of the battle, but also is becoming threat on the buffalo's trail too.
One of the buffalo tank is now disabled after the damage on their trail, which caused them being unable to use their cloak ability again since it was pretty much well spend. Hazel then bark his command through the radio to the other buffalo tank crew to aim at the Juggernaut's his neck area. However, the Buffalo crew was met with difficulty in order to penetrate the Juggernaut, as their armor were different than the ordinary sentinels and more agile.
It's 19:15, the sky was already darkened. Both combatants have reached their limits, as the buffalo's engine is sputtering, coughing out plumes of black smoke. The Juggernaut's armor, being pitted and scorched, is barely containing the rage within. At this point, Hazel had to use last tricks up his sleeve in order to win this battle, he then rammed his buffalo tank into the Juggernaut, knocking it off balance. It was a risky maneuver, but it looks like its working right now.
At 19:30, both of the titans are now standing exhausted and bruised, but they are still unbroken from this brutal confrontation. A weary respect now hangs in the air, as the juggernaut raises his gauntlet in a grudging salute, which Hazel mirror the gesture as he aim the turret at sky. The battle now ends in a hard-won understanding forged in the fires of combat, instead of a clear victory or defeat. It was indeed a costly and brutal battle, and both sides have suffered heavy loses.