Shortly after receiving and thanking Cassian for the shield, those I had put in charge of ordering the troops, considering I was on the front line, issued the order to march.

The first six miles to the fortress were trivial. No tricks, no traps. The Drakoshi had no in orbit air force so we didn’t have to worry about strafing or bombardments.

Their main weapon the Drakoshi used for this distance was also put out of commission by some young handsome hero with a heart of gold. I’d be giving him a commendation when the war was over for his daring heroism and rugged good looks...

However, as we began to approach the last mile. Things got tense. Talking about war and glory was one thing, but as the march turned into a light jog as we entered the engagement range of the turret emplacements, things turned quiet.

All that could be heard was the marching of thousands of boots alongside engines and mechanical clicking and whirring.

The Drakoshi could begin firing at any moment, but we kept moving. I had a hunch though. With their lack of munitions, even with the reinforcements called over, they were waiting. Biding their time until shots were more likely to hit.

The tanks and other heavy armour began to train their weapons on the wall. While the Phalanx began to prepare themselves for what was to come. Their weapons wouldn’t be accurate until half a mile away.

My Hunch was correct, unfortunately. As the moment we passed the mile mark, the front line had been given the Lyssa drug and were now taking it. I could feel the miasma around then as they began practically howling before engaging in a full sprint.

And as soon as they did.

Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka

The Drakoshi walls erupted with fury. Thousands upon thousands of weapons targeting us. I held up my shield instantly, the force of the rounds hitting me, made me audibly gulp. Skaja had crouched down behind me, using me as a meat shield, Sithrik was slithering behind a nearby tank, safe, while Nerissa had conjured her own shield for use.

However, not everyone was so lucky. The wails of death... Loud, painful and then silent. Over and over. Thousands were dying by the second. I-I had to close my heart to it and keep on moving.

I took solace in the fact that the tanks were indeed tanking and less were dying than a standard human wave tactic. Clusters of Phalanx were surviving because of them while the others continued to charge onwards. Their bravery moved me as they sacrificed themselves for their empire.

And so I continued forward. With each step forward, with each death we got closer and closer to the second phase of the operation. Where things will turn for us.

As we arrived at the half a mile mark. The sound cue of the Castellan firing its autocannons was the sign. In the communicator given to me, I contacted the elite squad that was hanging back further in the phalanx and shouted.

"Iilr! Now!"

"Yes Apollo!"

Was all I heard in reply and in two seconds, that felt like an eternity. Explosions began to ring out. The firing stopped from half the Drakoshi forces as the first two layers of walls began to crumble as the explosives his team had set up earlier did their work.

Now was the time all those sacrifices were going to be repaid tenfold.

I placed my shield in my right hand and raised it high, ignoring the few rounds I began to take from the other walls still firing and shouted at the top of my lungs, amplifying with everything I had, turning my throat bloody in the process.

"CHARGE!"

My roar was louder than all the gunfire and I charged ahead. The sight of the standard on my back, my stature and my breaking from the pack caused a wave of second wind to the Phalanx as they began screaming their lungs out as they began clearing the last half a mile with speed of great athletes.

...

I didn’t pull too far ahead, but I made myself a focal point for Drakoshi that began to recover as I approached and they began to fire. Only this time I fired back. Using my Minigun. I provided suppressing fire at my section of the wall.

My eight thousand rounds were gone in moments. I reloaded. Firing another eight thousand before reloading once more till I was empty.

By then though I had reached the rubble that was formerly the Drakoshi first wall and with the standard high above my back, I was the first to enter the fortress.

Switching my shield to my left arm, I hastily summoned Zircon as dozens of Drakoshi charged at me while hundreds more began shooting me. However, all this rubble... Free ammunition.

Using my Gyrokinesis while blocking a strike with my new shield before countering with a slash through the throat, I began to raise thousands of rocky debris and bombarded the enemy.

I couldn’t watch my handiwork as I felt an attack coming from my left. I went to block it, but the attack never reached me as Nerissa had forwent her shield now and was using her spear to deadly efficiency.

Skaja also came to my aid, her spear glowing with golden power as she cut through drakoshi like a scythe through wheat.

Knights then began to pour over the destroyed walls, reigning death with close quarter range fire and melee the like. The vanguard was deadly, efficient and most importantly, hastily reinforced.

"Die Grey fuckers!!!!"

Phalanx began pouring in. Their green armour swiftly became caked in blood as they fought. A mix of close ranged firing and bayonet charges. Thousands were dying. But now they were taking the Drakoshi with them.

...

The battle for the walls became a bloodbath. The Drakoshi were stronger than humans. By a lot. It sometimes took more than ten Phalanx to take down an unarmoured Drakoshi. Those numbers scaled greatly with each meter of height a Drakoshi had.

They were hard sturdy foes to the phalanx, but the phalanx were not alone this day.

"Raaaaghhh!" I heard a brutal feminine war cry near me. In the face of death, on her back. A Phalanx was shooting up at a War lad. Her arm was broken, but she still used it to shoot her weapon.

Defiant till the end.

She continued to shoot until confusion overcame her as a sword suddenly found itself in the Drakoshi’s head. Its limp body falling to her feet.

I ran to her aid and pulled her up.

No words between us. She was bloody and beaten, Her helmet half cracked and blood staining her eye. But she gave me not a second longer before she ran away shouting, picking up ammunition from her fallen comrade on the way as she went to flank another Drakoshi attacking our allies.

...

I rendezvoused with Nerissa, Onyx, Gabrielle and Sithrik amidst the chaos of the ongoing blood fest and pointed upwards. While keeping the com to the rest of the command open "They Drakoshi are holding the ramp up to the next level! It’s creating a bloodbath of a chokepoint! We need to break through!"

"Sentinel, This is Knight Theolan. I have sent up a flare. Meet me. My brothers are ready to break through that point or die trying!"

"Very well, brothers. I am on my way. Tanks train all fire temporarily to the Defences above the ramp. We need to suppress them."

"Copy that Sentinel. All heavy armour, fire on target."

I then turned to my allies.

"You ready?"

Nerissa simply nodded, so did Sithrik. Onyx however...

"Oh yes, my universe! How fun is this? Let’s go kill the ones causing your little people trouble."

Onyx then ran ahead. Casually decapitating a distracted Silver pauldron as she went. I had no time to acknowledge needless thoughts such as sexiness at this moment. I was on my combat stim, I couldn’t even think of anything but battle.

We hastily followed behind Onyx’s murder wake and arrived at the knight’s location. Pages were set up in cohesive kill squares. Each square was a group of ten men and they acted with almost hive-like tendencies. Each square was able to kill a Drakoshi with their concentrated fire instantly, while the squires were a sight to behold.

Each one was able to take an unarmoured Drakoshi on their own. Their armour giving them the strength and speed to keep up with them. Most were still using ranged weapons however, though I spotted one, wielding a large claymore, cutting a Drakoshi in half at the waist.

The four knights of this section seemed to be ranged specialists. But as I arrived with their Standard stained with Drakoshi blood, their ranged weapons were put away as each and everyone pulled out a melee weapon. A two handed morning star. A two handed axe, A sword and shield and a great sword.

The one with the sword and shield, the one that spoke on the communication spoke once more. Pointing towards of next objective

"My lord. At your order, we take that ramp."