Kingdom of Edgellaf, Capital City, Above The Capital City, In The Sky, The VTOL Peacemaker 45.

1st Year of God, Thursday, 3rd Week, Month Of Jonah.

As the Peacemaker was gaining altitude, a deep roar came from the distant sky, causing the special operation soldiers who were just taking a rest and were licking their own wounds to be once again alerted.

After all, the sound was disturbingly familiar to the sounds that they had heard on the day of the New Year's attack only half a year ago. It is most likely one of those mythical creatures that had wrought havoc upon the nation during their transportation. However, there were some minor differences with the creature that they have heard.

Nevertheless, it is most likely "That" creature.

On a far distance, a creature was traveling through the heavens with blistering speed, with loud growls as it flapped its cosmic size wings. The creature's sinewy muscles on its wings were very thin yet extremely defined. Pieces of bones were protruding out of the top of its wings, while the bone formations inside its wings were clearly visible as the skin of its wings molded into the shape of the bone, which gives it a defined look throughout its body. Large veins along with small veins form a mesh network throughout its body.

With each flap, the various muscles and veins were being stretched to its limit under the shining sky of the sun, which forms a glistening creature when observed from below.

At the back of the enormous creature with two mid-sized legs that is enough to support the body itself when the creature lands, was a man with dwarven features.

The dwarven man rode the creature as it flew through the bright blue sky. With the wind razing through his skin as he faced it head on fearlessly. The dwarven man was strapped on to the heavy duty saddle on the back of the two legged winged creature.

With great maneuverability in the sky, the creature stopped flapping its wings, and with a terrifying grace, it began a sharp dive and spun through the air as it flew toward the ground. Its target was the Peacemaker.

Onboard, alarms were blaring throughout the Peacemaker with red lights flickered across consoles as warnings erupted in rapid succession.

[Unidentified object approaching at high speed!]

The special operation soldiers panicked and looked out through the windows, desperate for a glimpse of the threat. Even the pilots strained to see beyond the glare of the sun, but the creature was rapidly descending at a frightening rate and made it hidden. Panic rippled through the cabin as the Peacemaker shuddered under the strain of evasive maneuvers.

“If we don’t move, we’re done for!” someone shouted.

From the cockpit, Nathan barked into the chaos, “Is that a fucking dragon!? Where the hell are our fighter escorts?”

“They’re not with us!” another soldier replied, sweat beading on his forehead. “There was some kind of delay, but they’ll be here soon!”

“How soon!?”

“Uh... an hour? Maybe a little more?”

Nathan clenched his fists. “Great. In a few hours, we’ll all be barbecue!”

Meanwhile, the pilots strained their eyes and scanned every angle of the sky, but were still unable to see where the creature was coming from. All they know is the fact that there was a blinking dot on their radar with the alarms screaming throughout the cockpit.

But no matter how thoroughly they searched, left, right, and even to the point of using the camera mounted on the Peacemaker's gatling gun to search below, they found nothing.

They weren't able to see where it was. If it wasn’t visible anywhere else, there was only one place it could be and that was on the top.

Upon realizing this, the pilots instinctively pushed themselves into a state of hyper-focus, tuning out the blaring alarms and the chaos around them. They held their breath, waiting for the perfect moment to act. Seconds stretched into eternity before they made their move with a sudden sharp maneuver, causing the Peacemaker to roll hard to the side, and in that moment, a massive shadow streaked past the aircraft.

This gigantic creature was the creature that was targeting them. The creature roared as it narrowly missed its mark but its claws were only able to barely scratch against the fuselage, leaving faint gouges in the paint job of the Peacemaker

Though they had avoided disaster, the Peacemaker was left wobbling precariously through the sky in the aftermath, losing altitude as the pilots did their best to stabilize the aircraft. After an intense struggle, they managed to regain control, but not without dropping hundreds of meters in the process.

Climbing back toward the safety of higher altitudes, the pilots breathed a momentary sigh of relief. But their respite was short-lived as the creature’s rider, a determined dwarf, quickly regained control of his mount and turned it back toward the Peacemaker.

With the aircraft still recovering, the creature began closing the distance with its powerful wings slicing through the air like razors.

Still having enough time, the pilots acted quickly by switching the gatling gun’s camera to track the threat. It wasn’t long before the creature appeared in their sights and at that exact moment they discovered that the creature was not the same one, yet still really familiar to them.

It was one of the creatures that was highly depicted in the insignia and banners throughout European legends, and that is the Wyvern.

But there was no time to marvel at the myth.

“Target locked!” one of the pilots barked. Without hesitation, she opened fire.

The dwarven rider, spotting the incoming hail of bullets, yanked the reins and forced the wyvern into a sharp dive where the chaingun wouldn't be able to aim at them.

The sudden maneuver spared them for the moment, but the Peacemaker’s pilots were relentless as they pushed the aircraft to maximum speed by straining its engines to the limit to gain distance.

The dwarven, having noticed the increasing speed of the Peacemaker, decided to finally make a move.

The wyvern was brought out to efficiently use its body and was able to move at a constant speed, but its body was now being stretched to its utmost limit. To which it slowly lost some altitude, to the point they were now appearing in the gatling gun’s peripherals again, tantalizingly close yet still out of range. The pilots, realizing their chance, made a desperate gamble.

With a sharp climb, they forced the aircraft into its maximum power to immediately gain altitude, risking further strain on the engines and increased fuel consumption.

The sudden shift caught the dwarf off guard, throwing him momentarily off balance. It was all the opportunity the pilots needed.

They aligned the gatling gun and squeezed the trigger.

BRRRRRRRR!!

A storm of bullets tore through the sky, ripping into the wyvern and its rider as they were immediately pummeled with numerous holes that finally lost control of themselves and fell out of the sky.

As the wyvern helplessly fell down towards the land, it could no longer flap its wings. The beast’s once-mighty wings shredded and immensely damaged by the gatling gun from the Peacemaker and its body was filled with dozens of holes towards which blood was gushing out.

The dwarven rider, meanwhile, fared no better as he had massive holes in his abdomen, with his limbs nowhere to be seen. His lifeless body slumped forward in the saddle while his eyes were already rolled back towards the top extremities of his eyes as seconds passed by before he completely lost consciousness.

As the wyvern and its rider tumbled toward the ground with blood trailing like a macabre comet, the pilots of the Peacemaker pushed their battered aircraft onward, leaving the monstrous threat behind them.

After the initial wyvern had fallen, a new threat emerged on the horizon when a flock of wyverns were spotted flying in from the far distance, directly in the Peacemaker’s path.

Inside the aircraft, the pilots and special operations soldiers were already at their wit's end, physically drained, mentally frayed, and running on sheer determination. Yet they couldn’t afford to falter. For their own sake, their families, and the honor of the great motherland, they have to make it through until the end. Failure here would mark not just their end but the first casualties in what they feared would become a global catastrophe. They refused to let that happen.

The group of wyverns advanced with terrifying speed. With each flap of their massive wings, a boost of energy was being applied to them to propel them further into the sky like gusts of a storm.

As they moved through the bright blue sky, they let out a thunderous roar, which reverberated throughout the surroundings. They could feel the vibration from the roar of the wyvern from the Peacemaker, which sent a chill through the crew, some of whom froze in fear as memories of the New Year’s calamity flooded back. That fateful day, when they were forcibly wrenched from their world and thrust into this one, was now seared into their minds, a tragedy they could not relive.

Desperate to gain an advantage, they attempted to climb in hope to use altitude to their benefit. But the maneuver was slow, and they quickly realized it was costing them precious speed to outrun the wyverns. At 200 kilometers per hour, they were far below the aircraft's maximum speed of 600 kilometers per hour, leaving them dangerously exposed.

Realizing their mistake, the pilots shifted tactics. They abandoned their climb and redirected all available power to boost their speed. If they could reach top velocity, they might outrun the wyverns entirely.

For a moment, they considered turning to fight, using the altitude they had already gained to engage the wyverns head-on. After a bit more time of thinking, they decided against it, as they believed that a dogfight would burn through their fuel reserves, which would jeopardize their mission and leave them stranded far from the Empire.

Worse, it would leave the Peacemaker vulnerable to being overwhelmed by the wyverns' superior agility in close combat, which might risk their very lives.

Reluctantly, they discarded the idea. Survival was paramount, and the pilots focused on their new plan by pushing the aircraft to its limit, trusting that their speed and resolve would carry them through. Every decision was a gamble, but as the wyverns bore down on them, they knew this was their only chance to make it out alive.

The wyvern riders squinted into the horizon, unable to make out the Peacemaker clearly, yet they smirked at what they assumed was a reckless enemy "wyvern" that dared to fly so low instead of gaining altitude to escape them. In the Third Civilization Zone, it was common knowledge to avoid direct wyvern-versus-wyvern confrontations unless absolutely necessary. To them, this opponent seemed to have a death wish.

What baffled them further was the enemy’s apparent trajectory. Instead of retreating, it was flying straight toward them. They couldn’t determine if the craft was attempting to gain speed or preparing for an aerial dogfight. Still, the riders felt assured of their victory.

While wyvern battles were rare, they were not unheard of. Most nations in the Third Civilization Zone reserved these creatures for scouting and specialized missions rather than risking them in combat. Only the wealthier nations, like High Tarxa and the Iron Kingdom, could afford to expend wyverns without hesitation. Even so, the Iron Kingdom was known for its cautious approach and conserved its forces for the battles to come.

As the Peacemaker pushed to its maximum throttle, the aircraft began to tremble under the strain of its blistering speed. Though it was no prototype, the sheer velocity caused vibrations to ripple through its frame.

Meanwhile, the wyverns behind it were now flapping its powerful wings much more elegantly while maintaining speed. As they had expected, the enemy wyvern they were against was preparing for a dogfight in the air.

But their expectations were about to be blown away.

The Peacemaker’s engines let out a deafening roar, a mechanical howl that echoed across the skies. The sound caught the wyvern riders off guard, it was unnatural, nothing like any wyvern they had ever encountered. Only then did they realize their mistake that this was no wyvern. It was something entirely different, and it wasn’t preparing to fight, it was trying to outrun them.

Too bad, they thought to themselves smugly. Most wyverns in the Third Civilization Zone were comparable in speed, and no enemy could hope to escape their pursuit. They prepared their assault, knowing that at top speed, their quarry would struggle to dodge incoming projectiles.

With synchronized precision, the wyverns launched a volley of fireballs, each one erupting from their stomachs and streaking toward the Peacemaker at nearly 200 kilometers per hour. The pilots, spotting the fiery projectiles, immediately veered the aircraft with a sharp maneuver. The evasive action strained the Peacemaker’s systems, prompting the pilots to grimace at the thought of the maintenance costs, and the inevitable reprimands from their superiors.

Then, with a piercing whine, the Peacemaker passed by the stunned dwarves at a speed they could hardly comprehend. Their fireballs missed entirely, making their carefully laid plans rendered useless. The moment was almost anticlimactic, the only sound left behind a fading roar as the aircraft disappeared into the distance.

“Curses! How are we supposed to catch that contraption with such speed?” one dwarf bellowed in frustration as he gripped the reins of his wyvern.

Another dwarf was about to respond when his magic communication device crackled to life. Listening intently, his frustration gave way to a sly grin.

Turning to his companion, he announced.

“The Thunder Warriors are on their way.”

————————————————————————

“Chief!” the pilot of the Peacemaker shouted. “More enemy air units closing in on our tail!”

“Damn it!” Angelo growled as he gripped the armrest of his seat. “How close is our air support?”

“HQ says at least half an hour,” the co-pilot responded grimly. “There’s some kind of anomalous storm interfering with their systems, that is why it takes longer to come here.”

Nathan slammed a fist against the console. “Thirty minutes? A lot can happen in thirty minutes!”

The commanding officer stepped forward and spoke in a calm but determined tone. “Then we’ll have to fight. This bird’s not defenseless. We’ve got the gatling gun, plus mounted machine guns at the doors. We can rig the Peacemaker for combat. And don’t forget, this thing’s made of orichalcum, it’s practically a flying tank against magic. With the Men of Stone, we’ve got both shields and firepower to hold them off.”

Marco glanced at him with skepticism. “And you really think we can take those things down? What happens when enemy reinforcements show up? We’ll be outnumbered and outgunned.”

The commanding officer smirked. “We signed up for this, didn’t we? Risk and the fight. That’s the job.”

Marco hesitated, then nodded with a faint grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Well said.”

Angelo stepped closer. “What do you need from us?”

————————————————————————

The ramp doors at the rear of the VTOL slid open, and a soldier quickly mounted the machine gun support at the edge, snapping the AFMG-1 into place and loading the drum magazine in. He made sure that the spare ammunition was secured against the harness was properly stored and settled down into the bucket seat, with the machine gun now aimed squarely at the incoming swarm of flying dwarves.

The leaders such as Angelo and the commanding officer moved methodically through the aircraft, double-checking the readiness of the crew as they make sure everyone was secured and ready. Three guns were manned with two at the ramp doors and the gatling gun beneath the belly of the Peacemaker.

A towering Men of Stone stood at the entrance with its autocannon primed and ready. Its armored granite-like skin paired with the Peacemaker's orichalcum plating transformed the VTOL into a small flying fortress.

Angelo inspected his arcane shotgun one last time to make sure that it was fully loaded and securely strapped to his chest. He shouted, "All green! Clear for bat—!"

"Contact left!" a soldier manning one of the side-mounted machine guns interrupted.

The Peacemaker banked sharply to the left with the whine of its engines rising in protest as two dark shapes streaked toward them through the sky.

“Here they come!” the commanding officer yelled into his headset. “Watch your arcs of fire! Nobody clips the Peacemaker! Especially the rotors! Make sure your firing zones are locked!”

"Roger!"

"Yes, Chief!"

"Got it!"

The VTOL's GAU-10 “Dragon's Breath” gatling gun beneath the belly roared to life, its barrels spinning as the targeting systems locked onto one of the fast-moving enemy contacts which were the sleek, predatory mech battle suits from the Iron Kingdom as they cut through the sky like predators.

One battlesuit veered sharply right, evading the initial burst of fire with incredible agility. Private Luth, one of the soldiers who manned the starboard-mounted AFMG-1, engaged the enemy with a steady stream of 8.5mm tracers. The sky lit up with streaks of red laser-like rounds as he adjusted his aim, anticipating the path of the target expertly.

The 8.5mm mithril rounds, traveling at blistering speeds of 807 meters per second, initially missed as the battlesuit moved unpredictably. But Luth quickly recalibrated, using the red tracers as guides and managed to correct his aim, firing in the path of the mecha suit.

His next salvo of high-velocity 19 grams rounds hammered into the battlesuit’s composite armor, rupturing servo systems and severing power conduits. Sparks and hydraulic fluid sprayed from the damaged suit as it careened off course and spiraled downwards.

The whole engagement lasted for four seconds, but the damage was done when the crippled battlesuit slammed into the dense canopy below with its thrusters sputtering before exploding in a fiery ball, causing a nearby flock of small wyverns scattered from the impact zone with their shrieks piercing the air as flames consumed the wreckage.

“SCRATCH ONE MECH!” Luth yelled excitedly as he leaned his body over, watching the fiery remains vanish into the trees below. “Wooooohooo!”

“Good kill!” Angelo yelled back as he kept his eye on the second mecha. The surviving battlesuit hovered momentarily with its glowing optics flickering as it processed the destruction of its comrade.

“Press the advantage! Take it out before it can engage!” Angelo barked.

The Peacemaker's engines roared to life as it pushed the VTOL forward with relentless force. With a series of loud clicks, the belly-mounted Gatling gun clicked into position and its targeting system locked onto the remaining dwarf battlesuit. The mech suit reacted, diving, sharply as its magic weapons flared with defensive energy, but its movements were too slow to evade.

The Gatling gun roared, unleashing a stream of high-caliber rounds, and the mech’s magic shield flared brightly under the barrage but quickly failed as it became overwhelmed. A critical hit struck the left thruster, sending the battlesuit spiraling out of control.

Smoke and debris trailed behind as the mecha fell into the dense forest below, slamming into the ground with a thunderous crash. The impact shook the trees, and another plume of smoke billowed into the sky.

“Another clean kill!” Angelo shouted, and the crew erupted in cheers, but their victory celebration was short-lived as Angelo noticed movement on the horizon.

Grabbing his field glasses, he scanned the distance. His stomach sank as more shapes appeared, and their silhouettes unmistakably revealed to be more Iron Kingdom’s mech warriors closing in fast.

“Oh no,” Angelo muttered. “More hostiles inbound.”

The Peacemaker’s pilot’s voice crackled through the comms. “Buckle up, boys. It’s about to get messy.”

The Peacemaker's engines roared as its pilot, Lieutenant Karsen, angled the gunship’s nose towards the approaching Dwarf Mech battle suits. The targeting HUD flickered as the enemy formation split into two distinct groups.

“They’re splitting up!” Karsen called out over the comms. “One group’s climbing for altitude, the others are heading straight at us for a pincer attack!”

“Roger that!” the tactical officer barked as he studied the tactical display. “Two of these things were sticking with the bigger one, it looks like it’s trying to gain height for a diving attack. The other three are going for harassment.”

“Plan?” Karsen asked sharply as the VTOL adjusted to the threat.

“Ignore the heavy for now,” the officer ordered. “We take out the trio first with a high-speed pass, then circle back to deal with the others. All guns to bear as we close in!”

“Copy that,” Karsen replied. She adjusted the VTOL’s thrust vectoring for maximum speed, and the belly-mounted GAU-10 Chaingun whirring as it spun up.

The Dwarf battlesuits in the lower group spread out with their sleek frames gleaming in the sunlight. As the Peacemaker raced toward them, the mechs responded by breaking formation and banked into coordinated separate attack vectors.

“Dive under them! Now!” Angelo shouted.

Karsen yanked the controls, sending the Peacemaker into a stomach-lurching dive. The VTOL plunged beneath the trio of mechs as the gunner stations lit up with chatter as they opened fire. Streams of tracer rounds erupted from the port and starboard-mounted machine guns as they streaked through the sky.

“Targets in range!” Private Luth shouted as he sprayed rounds into the path of the closest battlesuit. The high-caliber mithril-tipped rounds punched into the mech’s undercarriage, sparking explosions that cascaded along its frame. The suit veered off wildly before plunging into the forest below.

“Scratch one!” Luth cheered.

The lead battlesuit, meanwhile, opened fire with a burst of magic bullets, but the Peacemaker's orichulcum armor plating withstood the energy bullets while narrowly missing the VTOL’s tail rotor. Angelo pumped his shotgun in frustration, blasting at the suit’s underside as it passed overhead.

The remaining two suits, meanwhile, retaliated with the lead mech opening fire with a burst of magic bullets, which struck the Peacemaker’s orichalcum armor in bursts of fiery light. The VTOL shuddered but held strong, deflecting the energy rounds. A near miss scorched past the tail rotor, eliciting a sharp intake of breath from the crew.

Angelo pumped his arcane shotgun and fired at the lead suit as it passed overhead. Sparks flew as the pellets grazed its underside, forcing it to adjust its trajectory.

“They’re persistent, I’ll give them that!” Nathan growled.

“Let’s see if they’re persistent enough to survive another pass,” Angelo shot back as he readied another shot.

“Golem! Light it up!” the officer barked.

The Men of Stone fired a storm of 25mm rocket-propelled rounds. The tracers stretched across the sky, stitching the second suit and effortlessly sent the enemy mech spiraling out of control and ending up in a violent crash among the trees below.

“No line of fire on the third!” a soldier shouted as the last mech of the trio maneuvered with cunning, using the Peacemaker’s wings as cover to creep closer for an attack.

“I’ve got him!” another soldier snapped. He angled his turret and fired, and the rounds punched cleanly through the cockpit of the approaching mech. Inside, the dwarf pilot slumped lifelessly over the controls, and the battlesuit veered wildly before plummeting from the sky.

“That’s three down!” Angelo called as he scanned the battlefield through his field glasses.

“Don’t start celebrating yet,” Karsen interjected. “We’ve lost sight of the leader and its escorts.”

“7 o’clock high! Coming fast!” One soldier yelled as he spotted a shadow against the sun.

“BREAK LEFT! BREAK, BREAK, BREAK!” the officer roared.

Karsen yanked the controls, throwing the VTOL into a sharp bank as the Thunder Warriors’ heavy battlesuit screamed past with its thrusters leaving a concussive shockwave that rocked the aircraft.

“Holy hell!” a soldier gasped as the VTOL wobbled and struggled to regain balance.

“INCOMING, LEFT FLANK!” another soldier shouted as he spotted a second mech closing in toward their blind spot, staying frustratingly outside the firing arc.

The Men of Stone responded in an instant by swinging its autocannon around, its sights locking onto the battlesuit’s flanking maneuver. It fired, sending out tracers of bullets as it carved through the air in a deadly arc across the enemy's path, forcing the mech into a desperate swerve.

But it was too late as rocket-propelled rounds ripped through the cockpit, leaving its crew lifeless as the crippled battlesuit trailed smoke and veered away.

“Damn it, we need more guns on the underside!” Angelo growled.

Karsen shot him a smirk, and her fingers hovered over a console switch.

“I've got this.”

The Peacemaker’s belly-mounted Gatling gun roared to life, unloading a thunderous torrent of .50 caliber mithril rounds, and the retreating mech stood no chance as explosions cascaded along its frame before it erupted in a fiery explosion, raining debris over the forest canopy below.

“Lucky shot!” Angelo muttered.

“Luck?” Karsen retorted with a grin. “I call that skill.”

“Front, Karsen! Eyes front!” the officer barked. “Praise yourself later, but we still have five enemies to deal with!"

As if summoned by his words, the remaining mechs had regrouped with their heavy leader taking point. Magic energy cannons flared to life as their ominous glow signaled another deadly charge.

“Tally ho! 3 o’clock high!” someone shouted as the enemy formation closed in.

“Get us some altitude!” the officer commanded.

Karsen adjusted the thrusters, sending the Peacemaker climbing sharply as its guns roared again and began their symphony of fire and fury unleashed upon the enemy once more.

“Come get some!” she snarled, steadying her hands on the controls as the gatling gun spat fire into the advancing mechs.

The heavy battlesuit retaliated with its own barrage of magic bullets that streaked past the VTOL, narrowly missing its fuselage. Even if a direct hit landed, the Orichalcum armor plating and the Men of Stone ensured the aircraft and its crew would remain unscathed for now.

As the Peacemaker’s cockpit continued to be filled with alarms, a magic bullet managed to graze its fuselage, frying circuits and fusing part of the VTOL’s armor plating in a cascade of sparks.

The AI within the Men of Stone noticed this and calmly gave a warning that all the crew throughout the cabin could hear.

“Hull integrity compromised, port side. Tactical systems rerouting.”

“Damn it!” Karsen growled, yanking the controls as the VTOL jerked violently to avoid the follow-up magic energy blasts salvo.

The Iron Kingdom’s heavy battlesuit, an enormous dwarf-crafted mech, banked sharply in response, its adaptive thrusters glowing an ominous blue as it weaved through the Peacemaker’s chaingun fire with alien agility and uncanny precision.

“Hold her steady, Karsen!” the officer barked from the weapons station. “Don’t let them box us in!”

“Trying not to die here!” Karsen shot back while clenching her teeth as she pulled the aircraft into a steep climb. The engines strained under the Peacemaker’s weight and the roar of their effort vibrated through the cockpit.

Paulo, manning the left gun pod, cursed as the sudden violent maneuver caused him to lose his grip on a fully loaded 75-round drum. The ammunition tumbled out of the VTOL and he watched helplessly as it disappeared into the endless sea of trees below. Swallowing his frustration, he braced himself and held another magazine tightly, determined not to lose his grip again as the Peacemaker twisted into another evasive loop.

“I’m going to puke,” he muttered, his face pale as a sheet.

“Contact! Four o’clock!” Angelo shouted.

A mech with an open cockpit and an outstretched magic energy blade was closing in fast. Nathan swung his machine gun around while struggling to get the enemy in his sights. Angelo fired a burst from his shotgun, and the arcane pellets exploded harmlessly off the battlesuit’s armor. Marco, manning the rear turret, joined in and unloaded a barrage of red tracers at point-blank range alongside the Men of Stone’s autocannon and the Peacemaker's chaingun.

The combined firepower tore through the mech’s lightweight armor and shredded its exposed cockpit. Its pilot slumped lifelessly as the mech became a smoking wreck, veering out of control before crashing into the forest below.

“Good hit!” the officer yelled.

The Peacemaker tilted sharply to dodge the falling debris, but a chunk of the ruined mech clipped the left wing, causing a fracturing in a support strut. Warning lights blared anew as the VTOL wobbled dangerously, beginning to lose altitude.

“We’re spiraling!” Karsen shouted, tightening her hands on the controls as she fought to steady the plunging aircraft while it was heading towards the trees.

The crew screamed and braced for impact as treetops rushed closer. At the last possible moment, Karsen managed to stabilize the craft, leveling the VTOL just skimming dangerously close to the canopy.

“Status?” the officer demanded with sweat dripping down his face.

“Lost altitude and speed,” Karsen replied, panting. “Right wing stabilizer fried. We’re limping here.”

Above them, the remaining Dwarf battlesuit let out a triumphant screech from its external speakers, a grating sound that echoed across the battlefield. With thrusters blazing, it dove toward the Peacemaker for the kill with its magic energy blade glowing menacingly as it aimed for the VTOL’s rear section.

The Men of Stone reacted first and spat a stream of high-velocity rounds that streaked through the air like fireflies. The tracers found their mark and punched through the mech’s already compromised armor. Explosions rippled along its frame as the bullets ripped apart its thrusters and cockpit. In a fiery burst, the battlesuit exploded mid-air, with its smoldering debris raining down into the forest below.

“Hell yeah! Got ‘em!” Marco cheered at the Golem.

“We’re not out of this yet!” Karsen snapped, gripping the controls as the VTOL shuddered violently as another magic energy blast from the Iron Kingdom’s heavy mechs had struck nearby, and now the remaining enemies were closing in fast from above.

“Incoming!” a soldier shouted as a glowing sphere of magic energy blasted from one of the mechs and streaked toward them. He raised his AF-2 rifle and fired off a stream of red tracers skyward, which the approaching mech evaded easily, but its shimmering magic shield flared as a handful of bullets managed to impact its surface.

Karsen yanked the controls sharply, tilting the VTOL hard to avoid a large sphere of magic energy that exploded nearby, sending a shockwave that rattled the airframe, but she used the resulting thermal updraft from the blast to gain a few precious meters of altitude, buying time to stave off the inevitable.

“Where the hell is our backup?” Angelo barked in frustration as he gripped his station.

As if answering his prayers, the radio crackled to life.

[Peacemaker One, this is Gold Leader! We’re en route to assist. Sit tight.]

The officer immediately snatched the receiver, nearly dropping it in excitement. “This is Peacemaker One! We’re pinned down here, get to us fast!”

[Copy that. Keep those suits off your tail,] The welcoming voice sounded so sweet to the crew that they gave a loud cheer.

The promise of reinforcements felt like a lifeline in a storm, but Karsen’s hands never left the controls.

“Cheer later!” she growled as her eyes fixed on the advancing mechs. “We’ve still got to survive until they get here!”

Moments later, two F-12 Phoenix Fighter Jets descended from the blazing sun at Mach speed, catching the unsuspecting Iron Kingdom’s mech warriors completely off guard.

Before they could react, the Fighter Jet's twin 20mm autocannon pods erupted to life, lighting up the sky with a ferocious barrage. Each round, a 129-gram projectile, screamed down at 670 meters per second, with the autocannons unleashing a rate of 520 rounds per minute in a deafening symphony of destruction.

The Phoenixes’ ammunition alternated between high-explosive armor-piercing shells followed by two mana-infused missiles, a devastating configuration capable of obliterating even weaker 1st Tier Trascendents.

The dwarf mechs’ magic energy shields flared brightly as they absorbed the initial hits of the explosive armor-piercing bullets and missiles, but the concentrated fire proved too much. Within seconds, the concentrated barrage shattered the shields, sending a magical backlash into the cockpit. The dwarf pilot convulsed as the surge of energy knocked him unconscious, leaving his battlesuit defenseless.

Reinforced mithril plating crumpled under the sustained assault, and the mech’s frame disintegrated piece by piece. Explosions tore it apart, reducing the once-imposing suit to a mangled piece of steaming metal and unidentified meat. Shards of armor, chunks of flesh, and burnt viscera rained down into the forest below, painting the canopy with grim evidence of the Phoenixes’ power.

“Boom! That’s how you do it!” the officer roared, his cheer met by a wave of applause from the crew. The sight of the Iron Kingdom’s mech warriors literally being blown to pieces filled the Peacemaker with a fleeting sense of triumph. “Humanity’s Air Force for the win!”

[Peacemaker One, your wing’s looking rough,] Gold Leader called over the comms as the Phoenixes regrouped and buzzed low over the VTOL to assess the damage.

“We’re barely holding together,” the commanding officer replied as he glanced at the Peacemaker’s damaged right wing. “Requesting immediate landing coordinates.”

[Roger that,] came the calm response. [Divert to bearing 223 degrees. There’s a clearing by a river, two klicks out.]

“Understood,” the officer confirmed and turned to Karsen. “Think you can get us there?”

“Barely,” Karsen muttered through gritted teeth, and noticed her knuckles became white as she wrestled the controls.

The Peacemaker’s engines sputtered in protest as the VTOL limped toward the designated clearing. It skimmed perilously close to the treetops, and soon the faint glitter of a snaking river came into view in the distance, offering a fragile sliver of hope in the middle of the endless green.

“First air-to-air combat against literal mechs,” Angelo muttered from the cockpit doorway, reloading his arcane shotgun with trembling hands. “And we lived to tell the tale.”

“For now,” Karsen muttered grimly as the Peacemaker groaned under the strain.

“Well, it’ll take more than death to kill the Austronesian spirit,” the commanding officer said with a wry grin. The female pilot smiled faintly at the remark, and her gaze drifted out the cockpit window, but her expression faltered when she noticed something in the distance.

“Hm?”

She squinted and focused on a massive dark cloud racing toward them at alarming speed.

“Gold Leader, is that the anomalous storm that delayed you?” Karsen asked sharply.

[I’m not sure, but…] Gold Leader’s voice crackled over the comms. [It seems bigger now, and more dangerous. Our mana-monitoring devices are detecting extremely high magical levels, with over—]

At that moment, the radio sputtered and hissed with static.

“Hello? Gold Leader? I can’t hear yo—”

BOOOOM!!

Before Karsen could finish, a brilliant lightning bolt launched out from the storm and struck the two Phoenixes mid-flight. The fighter jets exploded instantly, torn apart by the blast and left no time for evasive action.

“Oh my god,” Karsen whispered as her eyes widened in disbelief.

From the heart of the storm, something colossal emerged.

It was larger, faster, and more terrifying than the wyverns they’d faced earlier. Its body shimmered with scales that gleamed a mix of silver and blue, and waves of mana rippled off it like heat haze.

This was no wyvern.



“Is that a… dragon?” the commanding officer muttered.

Before anyone could respond, alarms were blaring throughout the Peacemaker as the monstrous dragon flew toward them with terrifying speed.

“Dragon inbound!” someone shouted in a panic, and the crew scrambled, throwing panicked glances out the windows as the creature descended with its massive frame blocking out the sky.

“FUCK!”

In a heartbeat, the dragon already closed the distance with its enormous claws latching onto both wings of the Peacemaker. The VTOL lurched violently, tipping to one side as the crew was thrown from their stations and crashed to the floor in a chaotic tangle.

“We’re under att—!” Karsen’s scream was cut off as the dragon’s colossal jaws closed around the cockpit where she and the commanding officer was in, and crushed it instantly in a sickening crunch.

The front section of the Peacemaker was torn away like paper, with the remains and its occupants thrown through the air as though they were nothing.

Angelo froze in horror as he watched the cockpit crumple under the dragon’s jaws, with the occupants inside crushed and died in an instant.

Shaking himself free of the shock, he shouted, “The pilots and the commanding officer are dead! Open fire!”

Angelo, his team, the other Special Operations soldiers, and the Men of Stone fired their magic-infused guns at the dragon, but the red glowing projectiles ricocheted harmlessly off the dragon’s iron-hard, blue-silver scales. The beast barely flinched as its shimmering armor impervious to their desperate assault.

With an irritated growl, the dragon opened its mouth, and a malevolent blue light began to pulse from deep within its throat.

Realizing what it was about to do, Angelo shouted at everyone.

"Get to the sides! Move!”

Everyone quickly moved, diving for cover and bracing themselves. But not all were fast enough as four soldiers and the two dwarven captives were caught directly in the path of the dragon’s lightning breath.

A searing bolt of electric energy erupted and vaporized them instantly. Not even their mithril armor nor the orichalcum ramp behind them could withstand the sheer destructive force as both were reduced to molten slag in a blinding flash.

The sudden tilt of the Peacemaker’s ramp caused several more soldiers to lose their footing. They tumbled through the open rear and fell to their deaths, but their screams were swallowed by the howling wind and the dragon’s guttural growls.

Then, with a mechanical whir, the Men of Stone sprang into action, rushing forward and drove a massive fist into the dragon’s snout with a thunderous *crack*. It followed with an uppercut that slammed into the beast’s chin, forcing the dragon to rear back and let out an ear splitting shriek.

"RAWRRRR!!"

The dragon, enraged but momentarily stunned, retaliated with terrifying speed. Its powerful claws gripped the Peacemaker’s front section, and with an unnatural strength, it began spinning the already battered VTOL. Inside, chaos erupted as soldiers and equipment were flung violently against the walls.

“Hold on!” Angelo shouted as he gripped a support beam as the craft spun faster and faster.

The Peacemaker’s alarms wailed in a deafening chorus, with the roar of both a massive beast and the groaning protests of the disintegrating airframe. Red warning lights flashed across the interior of the damaged Peacemaker, the alarms competing with the shifting light of the raging fire outside the broken cockpit.

“Hang o-!” Angelo yelled again, but his grip failed.

With a shout of terror, he was thrown through the gaping hole where the cockpit had once been, disappearing into the sky. One by one, the remaining Special Operations soldiers were wrenched from their holds, and were thrown out through the shattered ramp and cockpit, their fates left to gravity and the unforgiving terrain below.

The massive dragon, relentless in its fury, spun the Peacemaker one final time before releasing it, sending the VTOL falling down with trailing fire and smoke as it crashed into a dense forest of snow-dappled trees and jagged hills. The impact shook the earth, leaving a fiery scar in its wake.

Hovering above, the dragon circled slowly and scanned the wreckage. The humans had been scattered across the snowy expanse, and their precise locations were hidden by the dense canopy and treacherous terrain.

But the fifty-feet reptile didn't care as it out a rumbling snarl. Its vast wings carried it over the forest as it began its hunt, determined to find and finish the survivors.

————————————————————————

Prince Dwalin Hammerfall stood on top the crown of an Everblue tree, watching the humans' flying contraption as it was torn apart by one of the Iron Kingdom's most greatest and fearsome Magic Beasts, the Ironstorm Dragon.

The monstrous beast's roar echoed through the forest, a chilling symphony to the destruction it had wrought.

A satisfied smile spread across Dwalin's face. With a fluid motion, he leaped from the treetop and landed safely on the forest floor.

Turning around, he found himself face-to-face with a battalion of Iron Kingdom soldiers. Their polished armor gleamed dully in the filtered sunlight, and behind them stood the hulking forms of Mobile Drilling Machines, their engines growling with readiness.

Dwalin raised his weapons, a magic-powered autocannon in one hand and his legendary warhammer, Stormbreaker, in the other. The Prince of the Iron Kingdom straightened to his full height, and spoke out with authority and fervor.

“My brothers and sisters! The Ironstorm Dragon has brought down their flying machine. Now is the time to strike! Raise your weapons, and let us slaughter them in the name of our fallen comrades! For Rock and Stone!”

“““FOR ROCK AND STONE!!!””” the battalion roared, their unified cry shaking the air as they prepared for battle.