Was it Over?

General Harper stood over the tactical display, his eyes narrowing at the shifting icons representing the armored units closing in on Valeria. The battle had raged longer than anticipated, and despite their best efforts, the witch had proven far more resilient than expected. Her dark energy barrier had thwarted the combined might of Abrams and Bradleys, and though they had landed a few lucky hits, it wasn't enough.

His fingers drummed against the control panel as he replayed the footage of the Hellfire missile striking her midair. She had been vulnerable for a moment-distracted, her barrier momentarily down.

"That's it," he muttered under his breath, eyes flicking between the tactical data and the live feed. "She can't maintain that barrier and attack simultaneously. We overwhelm her and break her focus. The moment her shield drops, we hit her hard."

He turned to his officers. "Order the engineers to lay mines across the beach perimeter. If she breaks through the second wave, we need to slow her down-and contain her movements. Deploy Claymores and anti-tank mines along the approach. We make this terrain her enemy." "Yes, sir," one of the officers snapped to attention before quickly relaying the orders. Harper's mind raced as he considered their next move. She was powerful, no doubt about it, but her power came at a cost. Every time she exerted herself-every time that dark energy surged it took a toll. They had seen it; her regeneration was slowing, her barriers flickering.

"Get me a status update on the second wave," Harper barked, his eyes fixed on the tactical display. "I want those tanks repositioned for maximum coverage. The moment she drops that barrier, we hit her with everything we've got. No hesitation."

A flurry of voices echoed through the command room as orders were given, the ground forces shifted into position, and the engineers began their work

***

Meanwhile, inside the dark wall, Valeria was slowly regenerating. Her breathing was steady, her body mending, but her confusion grew. The relentless barrage had stopped-abruptly. She could still sense the mortals' presence outside her barrier, their vehicles rumbling, their weapons primed. Yet, they had ceased firing. Why?

Well, she couldn't see outside due to the thick well obstructing her view. That was the con of the spell that she had cast to protect herself.

It took about three minutes for her body to fully regenerate, and the moment it did, Valeria lowered her dark energy wall. The swirling veil of energy dissipated, revealing the battlefield once again. Immediately, the deafening roar of cannon fire resumed as the human soldiers wasted no time in renewing their assault.

The first Abrams fired a round, the massive 120mm shell streaking toward her position. Valeria's translucent barrier shimmered as it absorbed the brunt of the impact, deflecting the explosive force outward. The beach shook as the shell detonated nearby, but she remained unfazed, her eyes scanning the landscape for signs of their next move.

"They think they've learned something," she muttered to herself, her lips curling into a smirk.

More tanks and Bradleys opened fire, their shells and bullets hammering against her barrier as she moved forward confidently.

The humans were adapting, their tactics improving with each wave, but Valeria could see the cracks in their strategy. They were focused on overwhelming her, trying to force her to drop her shield. They had noticed her weakness, but they had no idea how fleeting that vulnerability was.

She stepped forward again, the ground crunching beneath her feet as she surveyed the retreating soldiers. Her eyes gleamed with a malevolent light, knowing she had the upper hand.

Then it happened.

A sharp metallic click echoed from beneath her, followed by an instant, thunderous explosion.

The mine she had unwittingly stepped on detonated with brutal force, sending a shockwave rippling through the air. Valeria's eyes widened in surprise as the explosion engulfed her lower half, and a searing pain shot through her body. The force of the blast obliterated her legs entirely, shredding them in an instant and sending debris flying in every direction. The ground shook, sand and dust filling the air as Valeria was violently thrown backward, crashing into the earth with a deafening thud.

The soldiers didn't hesitate. As Valeria hit the ground, they opened fire again, this time with even more intensity. The combined fire from the Abrams tanks and Bradleys poured down on her, hammering the spot where she had fallen.

Valeria's barrier flickered, struggling to maintain its form as each hit chipped away at its strength. Her regeneration had already begun, dark energy swirling around her, but without legs, it was slower than before. The pain of the explosion still coursed through her, but she gritted her teeth, refusing to show any weakness.

General Harper watched the tactical feed closely. "Keep the pressure on," he ordered. "We've got her pinned. Don't let up!"

The constant barrage was working. Valeria's regeneration wasn't fast enough to keep up with the relentless onslaught. Every time she tried to muster more power, the next round of fire forced her back down, her dark energy barrier flickering with each impact.

But even in her weakened state, Valeria wasn't finished. She slammed her hand into the ground, her eyes glowing with fury as she summoned a wave of dark energy to push back the assault. The force of the blast knocked several Bradleys off their tracks, flipping one over as it crumpled under the impact. A few tanks were forced to momentarily pause, but Harper quickly ordered them to realign.

"Move in closer!" Harper barked. "She's not invincible-get those tanks into position and finish this!"

The Abrams tanks advanced, their massive barrels rotating to lock onto Valeria's position. Despite the chaos around her, Valeria began to lift herself up, dragging her body with her arms. Her lower half was still regenerating, but the process was painfully slow. The damage from the mine had been severe, and she knew she was running out of time.

"They're learning," she muttered under her breath.

Harper's voice came through again. "Fire everything we've got. We end this now."n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

With the order given, the tanks unleashed another barrage, their cannons booming as shells rained down on Valeria.

Valeria, her body barely holding together, summoned the last reserves of her strength. She knew she couldn't take much more of this. With one final surge of power, she let out a scream, sending a shockwave of dark energy across the battlefield, knocking back the nearest vehicles and momentarily halting their assault.

With those machines disabled, Valeria relished the momentary victory, little did she know that there was still a machine from above.

"This is Spooky-1, target on sight," the pilot of the AC-130 reported.