3. Coastal Defense Pt.1

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-Himmelshafen, Silberne Beach-

"All men to battle stations!"

The orders blared from loudspeakers, and men scrambled to their designated posts. Himmelshafen, a crucial coastal city, bristled with massive naval cannons strategically positioned throughout its perimeter. The city's defense rested on the 22nd Infantry Division, comprising 14,000 troops, along with support from the 11th, 13th, and 9th Fighter Squadrons, as well as the 27th and 28th Dive Bomber Squadrons.

"Man the guns!"

The K28A4, an imposing 280mm coastal cannon, stood ready. The 'K' designation denoted Küstenkanone, or coastal cannon in English, while the number '28' indicated its 28cm caliber.

"Target that large ship! Sixteen degrees left, range at 9,000 meters!"

"Shell loaded!"

"Fire!"

The deafening blast reverberated as the massive 280mm shell hurtled from the cannon's barrel, shaking the ground with its power.

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**Admiral Aghen's Fleet**

On the bow of his ship stood Admiral Aghen, a seasoned veteran who had led the Presian Empire to victory during the 4th Great Minesian War. Now, he commanded a formidable fleet of over a thousand ships. According to prophecy, the Great Storm would subside, revealing a vast, resource-rich land beyond the tempest-tossed waves. Whoever controlled this land would reshape the world. Today was that fateful day.

"Admiral, the wyverns are ready for takeoff. We await your orders," reported a young crew member.

"Launch them! Instruct them to scout the area!"

"Aye aye, sir!"

As the crew member departed, Admiral Aghen pondered. Departing from the Empire had stirred an odd sense of déjà vu—a return to the 4th Great Minesian War. He hoped nothing would go awry.

Suddenly, a whistling sound pierced the air. Admiral Aghen looked up, spotting a small dot growing larger by the second. Before he could discern its nature, it crashed onto a neighboring ship, erupting in flames.

"A coastal attack!"

"At this range?!"

"Stay calm! Battle stations, prepare the landing troops! The wyverns are already en route to the coast!"

"Understood, sir! Maintaining formation. Closing the distance!"

Admiral Aghen's mind raced. Who could unleash such firepower at this range? Had Aggrean continent nations already landed on the island ahead? Few in Minesia knew of the divination.

His thoughts shattered as another ship exploded before him.

"May the wyverns deal with our assailants," he muttered.

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**Wyverns in the Sky**

Around a hundred wyverns soared through the sky, their mission clear: eliminate the threat endangering their ships. These majestic creatures, revered as lords of the sky, served in many countries' Air Forces. Their fiery breath could reduce buildings to rubble in a single strike.

"That's a massive city."

The riders shared the same thought. A city of this magnitude didn't materialize spontaneously.

"Focus on our targets! Attack those cannons!"

"OOOOOHHHH!!"

The riders split into smaller groups, aiming to disable the coastal cannons. But the task proved daunting.

"Agghhh!"

An explosion rocked the sky, shrapnel tearing through riders and wyverns alike. Four fell, lifeless, while the rest pressed on despite their injuries.

"What was that?!"

Before they could process the first blast, another detonation echoed.

"Ground-based attack!"

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The battle intensified, and the fate of the mysterious land hung in the balance. The wyverns would play a pivotal role, but who were their adversaries, and what secrets did the divination hold? Only time would reveal the answers.

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"Fire!"

BOOM!

The F88A3 is an anti-aircraft artillery piece widely used by the Army. The letter 'F' stands for Flugzeugabwehrkanone (Flak), while the number '88' represents the caliber size of 8.8 cm. 'A3' stands for Ausführung 3, which translates to 'Variant 3' or 'Model 3'.

"Shell loaded!"

It fires an 88mm time-fuzed high-explosive shell at a speed of 785m/s, reaching up to 7000 meters depending on the attack angle.

"Fire another one!"

BOOM!

"Aghgghh!"

"WE ARE TAKING CASUALTIES!"

"QUICK, EVERYBODY DIVE!"

The group dived, their minds filled with anger, and all they wanted now was revenge for their fallen comrades. But as they got closer and closer to the ground, a deadly stream of bullets came from the ground. They tried to dodge, but there were just too many of them, and one by one, their comrades and wyverns fell uncontrollably. Corpses littered the ground.

"DON'T FALTER, PREPARE TO SHOOT FIREBALL!"

Time felt slow; more of them died as they got closer to the ground, but they remained unshaken. A wyvern knight must be brave even in the most terrifying situations.

"NOW!"

Several fireballs erupted from all the wyverns' mouths—or at least what was left of them. They saw a fireball land a direct hit on the cannon position as they pulled away. But there was no time to cheer; more bullets were striking them from the ground.

Deep in the city, the Major General monitored the battle from afar. He looked like a human, but people would change their minds when they saw two big bull-like horns protruding from his head. That's because he was a Taurus, or bull person, as some called it. His bulky body, short red hair, and yellow eyes made him stand out.

"Major General, sir! The number of casualties keeps increasing; our troops are requesting immediate reinforcement."

"Captain Cord and his troops will arrive soon. Where are our air boys?"

Just as he finished his sentence, rumbles echoed from the sky. It was the Air Force!

"Took them long enough."

Biplanes filled the sky, all coming from an air base not far from the city. On board one of the fighters was a young human named Gerald Weber. At only 20 years old, his vermilion eyes scanned the ground like an eagle searching for prey. He spotted them and gave his wingman a hand signal to dive. Gerald led the way, followed by the other three aircraft. Soon more planes joined the dive.

Paldi had spent four years in the Wyvern Corps, though he had never been in battle before. He was exceptionally talented in flying his wyvern, and his juniors saw him as a reliable senior who often taught them how to fly better. Currently, he led six Wyverns—or seven if he included himself. The men behind him were all his juniors, grateful for the opportunity to fly with their idolized senior.

"Something is coming from above!"

Paldi looked up and spotted four flying objects diving toward their formation. He wasn't sure what they were, but they were heading straight for them.

"Scatter!"

But it was too late; a rain of bullets fell upon them.

RATATATATATATATA!

Three went down in one go—it was Gerald and his wingmates!

"Grrrrh, YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS!"

Paldi maneuvered his wyvern, attempting to chase one of the biplanes, but it was too fast. Wyverns had a top speed of 220-250 km/h, but those biplanes could reach at least 300 km/h. His prey easily escaped.

"Damn it! I can't catch up!"

RATATATATATA!

A stream of bullets rained down on him from behind. The Sc 15 Ziegler was a light and nimble fighter aircraft, reaching a top speed of 312 km/h. Armed with two 7.7mm nose-mounted machine guns that could spit bullets at 1200 rounds per minute, the Ziegler was a slippery opponent in the hands of a skilled pilot.

Paldi maneuvered his wyvern skillfully, managing to dodge the barrage. Although slow, the wyvern could turn very sharply, and he used this advantage to get behind his attacker. He didn't have much time before the enemy aircraft escaped, so he signaled the wyvern to shoot a fireball. Unfortunately, fireballs were inaccurate and lost a lot of speed trying to cut through the air.

"Damn it!"

Without realizing it, another aircraft had sneaked up behind him. The pilot aimed carefully and pulled the trigger.

Paldi's wyvern screamed in pain; it was shot multiple times, and its wings were full of holes.

"No… NO!"

Paldi had no choice but to land inside enemy territory. He carefully guided his injured wyvern slowly to the ground, crash-landing on the roof of a house.

"Ughhh."

Paldi surveyed his surroundings; it was a mess. He checked his wyvern only to find that it had died.

"Thank you for accompanying me all this time."

Paldi looked up and saw the very same plane that had shot him down circling above him before pulling away to find another prey. Soon enough, a group of soldiers forced their way inside and aimed their rifles at him.

"Put your hands up; do not resist!"

Weirdly enough, he understood what the man said. There was nothing he could do but surrender, so he complied.

"Admiral, news has come from the battlefront! Our wyverns have been annihilated!"

"What?! That fast?! Just what kind of enemy are we fighting?!"

"Flying enemy units spotted! They are coming in at high altitude!" said another crew member.

Upon hearing what the crewman said, Admiral Aghen looked up and saw 40 flying objects heading toward his fleet.

"Shoot the ballista; don't let them get any closer!"

Several giant bolts were launched from the ship, intended to shoot down the flying objects. However, they were too fast and too high. Even if the bolts could reach that altitude, it was unlikely they would score any hits due to their inaccuracy.

"It missed!"

"Grrrh, reload the ballista! Prepare for another volley!"

"Admiral, they are diving!"

Seeing wyverns diving at you was a nightmare. While these flying objects were not wyverns, they gave the same feeling.

"They dropped something!"

The VH 30 is a reliable two-seater dive bomber widely used by the Air Force. Much like the Sc 15, they are biplanes. With a top speed of 225 km/h, they are vulnerable to anti-aircraft attacks and wyverns. However, they are not designed for air-to-air combat; instead, they carry a 250 kg bomb to drop on the enemy. They also have 2x nose-mounted machine guns and 1x machine gun facing backward, operated by the rear gunner.

Admiral Aghen's pupils widened. He watched as one of the flying objects fell toward his ship. It was the first ship to sink that day.