The blinding sun could not penetrate the shadow in the sky, and the entire land appeared dim.Meanwhile, Adrian was smoothly driving across Bronze City in Skyton. The wireless signal receiver on the roof of the car blinked as incoming calls were transmitted through the car's speakers."Adrian, are you there?" Gracia's voice came through the car's speakers. The signal was from Drogoton."I'm here, Gracia. What's going on? Did something happen in Drogoton?""We're fine here, but Strider has done something extremely shocking. You'll never imagine what that nineteen-year-old is capable of."What has he done? Where is he now?""We haven't been able to reach him. It seems his communications are off. We'll only be able to contact him if he contacts us first. However, Steel sent word that Strider's at a base in Evercrest Mountain."Adrian was slightly surprised by this information. “Strider had more than four hundred thousand men in his command, less than two hundred thousand after th
Adrian rubbed his neck, feeling a deep sense of powerlessness.Rozi seemed puzzled as she asked, "Has Strider always been so reclusive? How could they possibly transport food in these circumstances?"Although Rozi did not understand modern military tactics, she knew it was impossible for food to be transported between cities. Of course, there was a chance they would succeed if the distance apart was not too great. Adrian knew Strider's character very well and shook his head helplessly. "He's a strong and independent lone ranger, plus it's difficult to figure out what he's thinking. However, he always has his reasons behind his actions. I'm sure he knows what he's doing." Rozi frowned and gained a pretty negative impression of Strider based on his actions. To her, any normal leader would never make such an impulsive decision. "They've got a tough battle up ahead,” she commented.The cost of moving ahead with such a plan would be heavy. However, if Strider did not take action, G
Aurelion, who was on one of the jets, saw the approaching bird monsters and immediately shouted, "We've got company. All units, stay sharp. Squad One, deploy to the flank and be ready to fire on my command. Squad Two, maintain a defensive formation to protect the cargo plane. Everyone, don't let the bird monsters get anywhere near the cargo plane!"The fighter jets quickly got into positions. Both offensive and defensive formations were complete when the bird monsters were close enough, and Aurelion yelled, "Fire!" Rat-ta-ta-ta! Boom! Boom! Boom! The sky was filled with gunfire and explosions, followed by screeches of agony as the monsters were blown to pieces. However, their numbers were so overwhelming that it made maneuvering difficult for the jets. "All squadrons, gain altitude and open fire!" Aurelion commanded.The jets changed their formations, and a hail of bullets was unleashed upon the approaching horde of bird monsters.Simultaneously, the ground teams were also f
And thus, the first push began.Fighter jets dipped and rose as they fired bullets into the mass of enemies. Explosions resounded as the bird monsters fell from the sky like rain. The fighter jets up front protected the cargo planes, doing everything in their power to safeguard their comrades.The horde of bird monsters was eventually scattered. The jets on the left and right continued to provide aerial cover for the mission. The entire sky had become an enormous battlefield, resounding with explosions.Aurelion continued to send out orders. "Squad two, get ready for the fuel dispersion!" Whoosh!Dozens of jets shot upward into the sky."Fighter one, ready and waiting!""Fighter two, ready!""Fighter three, weapons hot!"Responses came as the jets got into position. Aurelion took a deep breath and commanded, "All squadrons, reduce speed and disperse the fuel.""Yes, sir."The jets emptied their tanks, soaking the bird monsters. Covered in an unidentifiable liquid, the mon
Right at that moment, Starlight suddenly noticed an enormous figure."Fighter Twenty-Four, the bird monsters are closing in. You need to spread out our left and right flanks," he said through the communicator. Fighter Twenty-Four was Aurelion's jet, who immediately ordered for the flanks to spread out. He narrowly avoided colliding with the figure thanks to Starlight's agile piloting skills."Fighter Twenty-Four, I've spotted an enormous bird monster. It's about thirty meters big!" Starlight exclaimed.An incredibly huge bird monster emerged up front, resembling a griffin like in the movies. The creature flapped its wings and brought about a mighty typhoon, causing Starlight's fighter jet to sway.Aurelion said through the communicator, "Starlight, retreat. Left and right flanks, lock onto the target and get ready to fire.""Yes, sir."Whoosh!A strong gust of wind blew, and the formation shifted again. Explosive projectiles were fired at the enormous griffin, but it did not s
Boom!The collision's shockwave swept across the surroundings, and a mushroom cloud rose in the sky, blinding everyone. The griffin was now in pieces, and its dismembered parts rained down. The shockwaves had also devastated tens of thousands of bird monsters, effectively clearing the skies.When the intense light dissipated, everyone opened their eyes, but Starlight and Tempest-1 were no longer in sight."Starlight!" Aurelion roared.Everyone was in shock. Their comrade had chosen to sacrifice himself to eliminate the griffin so that they could advance."Starlight…" the pilots muttered.Thus ended the life of a twenty-year-old—a path he willingly chose."Let's move on," Aurelion said.They had no other choice but to wipe their tears and continue to escort the cargo plane.Due to the powerful explosion, almost all of the bird monsters had been wiped out, providing them temporary relief. Aurelion issued another command, "Squads One, Two, and Three, dive down and assist the gr
Through the combined effort of the three cargo planes, the train was lifted off the tracks and suspended in the air by the steel cables. The convo continued this way until they passed the faulty tracks, and the train was gently placed back on the tracks. The steel cables were retracted, and the train resumed its journey with the fighter jets providing cover.This was also the plan Strider had devised to deal with faulty tracks or other detrimental failures that hindered the train from moving forward. The cargo planes' function was to lift the train up and over faulty areas before placing them back on the tracks.The convoy continued moving forward, driven by dreams and hopes that were not extinguished by the monsters’ threat. They pressed on, determined to protect the world they cherished. They knew very well that many of them would end up sacrificing themselves by the time the convoy reached Geras. Even so, no one hesitated to move forward. They knew that the world was sick and that
"F*ck!" The angry cries of the pilots filled the air, but they had no choice but to continue forward. After all, there was no reason for them to stop there, not after Starlight and Robin had paved the way for them with their lives. They needed to steel themselves and move forward."Onward!" Aurelion roared through the communicator.Explosions echoed through the air as the Tempest jets led the way and those on the left and right flanks rotated in the sky. With each revolution, the jets unleashed a hail of bullets and missiles, tearing through the countless bird monsters. The sheer number of monsters made it challenging to break free, but the warriors piloting the Tempest jets, under the guidance of Strider's wisdom, pushed forward, leading the cargo planes to safety.It seemed as though the bird monsters knew that the cargo planes were the most crucial element of this mission, and they relentlessly attempted to destroy them.Aurelion, piloting Tempest-14, was bloodshot in the eyes