Chapter 34 Winter is Coming

"Woo——!"

A loud horn echoed from the Silvermane Guard's camp. This sound, though old-fashioned, fired up the soldiers, boosting their courage.

The Silvermane Guards marched in unison along the endless Wall.

Each soldier held the latest rifle, a perfect blend of technology and mechanical power. These rifles could shoot special cold iron bullets up to 3,000 yards with deadly accuracy. A built-in mechanism in the bullets improved their aim even more.

The snipers, called "Frostpiercer," could hit targets within 3,000 yards without missing.

In front of the snipers stood rows of towering mechanical soldiers, more than six feet tall, ready to move. Their thick power armor made them look even more intimidating.

As Belobog's most elite troops, they would fight the giant monsters on the front line until dawn.

A powerful energy shield spread across Belobog City, like a huge eggshell covering the sky.

Once everything was ready, everyone waited for just one person's command: Orion Astra.

He stood at the front of the troops, wearing a black military uniform that flapped in the wind, with his hands behind his back. He wore no armor.

Every movement he made caught the soldiers' attention. Orion had stressed the importance of this battle during an overnight strategy meeting.

The giant monsters, called "Titans," began appearing on the horizon. Even without binoculars, everyone could see the black line in the distance.

The ground trembled slightly beneath their feet, but no one in the Silvermane Guard was afraid.

They had survived many disasters before, and this time would be no different.

"All troops, attack!"

Orion's voice was immediately answered by the booming sound of cannons from within Belobog's walls.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

A thousand Belobog cannons roared, launching a barrage of shells at the Titans 1,000 yards away. Smoke filled the air, hiding the battle scene for a moment.

"Yes, we did it!" Some new recruits felt a surge of confidence. With so many shells raining down, surely the Titans would be injured, if not dead.

But Orion's eyes remained calm. As the only one who had fought against Titans before, he knew this attack was just a warm-up.

When the smoke cleared, the truth was revealed.

The Titans emerged from the ice and snow, shaking off the layers of frost. Their bodies were filled with a strange black substance, and their limbs were covered with colorful ice crystals. Their massive feet left deep craters in the ground. Most striking of all were their heads, covered with pale masks, with hollow eyes and a ring of ice and snow hovering above like a crown.

Despite the heavy shelling, the Titans remained unharmed, only dusted off.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" Sniper bullets hit the Titans precisely but barely scratched them.

"Change strategy! Focus on the smaller enemies!"

Orion 's orders were quickly passed down. The soldiers trusted his judgment completely and adjusted their aim. They unleashed a fierce attack on the smaller monsters advancing under the Titans' cover.

"Roar!" Unlike the slow-moving Titans, the smaller monsters were fast.

The soldiers kept the monster group 500 yards away from the city wall, while the Titans remained about 3,000 yards away.

As the Titans drew closer, their size and power became more intimidating. The Titans were taller than Belobog's city walls, which usually provided protection but now became an easy target for the enemy.

"Commander! The Titans are approaching the target zone!"

Geppard's shout was barely audible amid the battlefield's noise.

"Good. Tell the troops to get ready," Orion replied clearly. Without hesitation, Geppard passed the order to the Power Armor soldiers.

"Power armor troops, get to the city!"

The power armor troops, eager to fight, leaped from the 150-foot-high city wall into the battlefield below.

Small craters formed as they landed, but none of the soldiers were injured. They were used to this height.

"Charge!"

Like wild horses, the Power Armor soldiers, each wearing custom-made armor, rushed forward. Their armor was equipped with weapons and technology that matched their individual skills.

With the power armor on, their combat strength was more than five times their normal level. They fought like human-shaped war machines, moving swiftly through the enemy lines. Most attacks couldn't even scratch their armor.

A massive "tank" monster, 60 feet tall, raised its thick arm to smash down on Geppard.

If this hit landed, even a concrete building would crumble.

But Geppard raised his shield and faced the blow without fear.

The size difference was like a baby versus an elephant. Could Geppard handle this hit?

Yes, not only did he block it, but Geppard also sent the 60-foot-tall monster flying into the air!

The monster's arm broke off like a toy and flew helplessly.

With a thud, a sniper bullet pierced the monster's eye, exploding its head.

Geppard gave a thumbs up to the sniper team as Orion's voice came through the comms.

"Bring the power armor troops back. It's time to finish this."

Hearing the order, Geppard turned back and rushed toward the city wall.

"Boss Orion, don't worry! Haven't we taken down enough yet?"

"Yeah, let's get ten more!"

Geppard smiled knowingly. This wasn't breaking orders, but rather a secret way for them to let Orion know they were keeping him safe. It meant they hadn't been overwhelmed by the battle.

"Come on, you little rascals! You talk big, but you can run faster than anyone else!"

Orion 's calm voice came over the radio. It didn't sound emotional, but the soldiers who trained in the Silvermane Guard knew that their commander always acted calm when he cared about people.

Secretly, he was more worried about the soldiers' lives than anyone else.

In the Silvermane Guard, they had a word for this kind of behavior:

"Tsundere."

Orion himself didn't think much of it, but over the years, everyone knew that the officers of the Silvermane Guard liked to take on heavy responsibilities.

They often put the lives of soldiers first and only focused on completing tasks afterward, handling everything themselves in secret.

Many times, the Silvermane Guard soldiers would see Orion slowly fall asleep, even with wounds all over his body, while receiving treatment. It wasn't that his body was different, but that he could only relax when he was hurt.

Or, at the Silvermane Guard's post office, he would send his own salary to the families of injured soldiers.

He did this sneakily, always choosing to do it when the soldiers were resting, thinking he was being subtle. But in reality, every Silvermane Guard soldier knew what he was doing.

They all saw these things and respected this "commander" who was only a few years older than them. They were willing to risk their lives for him, even if it meant going through the most dangerous situations.

As he climbed the city wall, Geppard looked around. Some of the Silvermane mechs were missing, but Orion Astra was no longer on the wall.

"The time has come..." Geppard whispered, looking up at the sky.

A thousand feet above Belobog's city wall, Orion hovered steadily in the air, with nothing beneath him.

His pale and calm eyes reflected the figures of nearly a thousand "Titans" below. He raised one hand, pointed his index finger at the clouds in the sky, and then sharply brought it down.

The clouds split.

It was as if the sky, having been closed for so long, had finally opened its eyes to cleanse everything dirty on the earth.

Countless black pillars tore through the clouds and suddenly appeared from the sky. The parts touching the air burned red, forming bright spots, like red dots scattered on a canvas.

But now, this touch of red was about to be stained with the blood of these so-called "Titans."

"Try the full power of this space-based weapon."

"Skyfall Impact!"