The air was boiling from the beams of fire spells that mercilessly pierced it, erasing the nearby forest with its defenders hidden inside. This time, however, Vestargo's forces were absolutely surprised by a completely different strategy. Contrary to his wife, Blackbeard wasn't sparing his ships and troops, giving them much more freedom in their aggression while simultaneously maintaining unbelievable control over the fleet. While attacks led by Lady Admiral Sparrow were like precise, decisive executions, this attack resembled an intricate dance. The ships exchanged fire with the bug Titans without stopping. They moved and shifted their altitude, passing in close proximity to their allies but never close enough to raise concern on either bridge. Destroyers seemed to be everywhere, agilely changing their positions and always being where they were needed most.

  But that alone would have been manageable by the bugs. No, this time, they had to face not only the overwhelming firepower of the ships of the Royal Navy but also their full complement of assault craft, gunships, and Dragon Riders. The latter were delighted to finally take part in combat, at least. Their Wyverns eagerly took to the sky and, in a matter of moments, they gained full control of the sky over the Dungeon. Both the monsters and free-willed bugs were paralysed by fear. The idea of fighting a dead lump of metal didn’t instill the same fear even though the airships possessed firepower to kill any of them in an instant. The bugs simply didn't understand. But fighting Dragons? That was something terrifying. It was in the nature of every living being to be afraid or at least respect Dragons.

  And the Noble Wyverns of Avalon were just that. Lesser Dragons, but Dragons nonetheless.

  Different beams of the elemental magic marred the earth in their wake and even the largest bug Titans stepped back fearfully. Some of the flying bug monsters moved to stop the Dragon Riders but it was futile. The Arcadians were moving inside an intricate net of a complicated dance orchestrated by Blackbeard. Navy CIWS rattled constantly, quite literally erasing flying bugs from existence and those few that managed to reach the Dragonkins were obliterated with powerful skills. The Dragon and their Rider were as one.

  "Take your squad and see if you can aid the Mobile Infantry, Solti!" Captain Tavorr's voice directed through their communication network.

  "Affirmative, Sir. Purple Squad! Follow me!" Solti softly tugged the reins of his partner and sent his intent through their link.

  It was the first true combat deployment of the Dragon Riders and they were excited about it. Solti spearheaded the attack with a wide smile under his sleek helmet. Flying was so addictive. The air pushed against his armour but he was already focused. Below, a group of Mobile Infantry soldiers were defending against a massive horde of bugs that were spilling out of an underground passage. Despite overwhelming numbers, the bugs couldn't match the wrath of the Arcadian special forces. Their ranks were tight and steady; their front-line tanks held the line with brutal efficiency, while the remaining soldiers fired their magi guns. However, even Solti knew that they couldn't hold out much longer.

  He felt the wrath of his Dragon but ordered him to hold until the rest of his squad could take the best position. Just a few seconds later, he roared a release command and twelve different Dragons’ Breaths hit the tunnel entrance. What happened next had been a carefully planned outcome, but it was the first time they used it in battle. Two Ice Wyverns started closing the entrance with thick ice while the remaining ten’s breaths merged into one beam. It hit the ground and coalesced into a black orb inside the closing ice door thanks to the power of a Shadow Wyvern. The volatile orb of magic cracked, releasing toxic gas that spread into the interior with the compressed gust of wind power. What followed was a combined ignition spark, made up of flames and lightning, that shook the ground with a resounding thump and completely collapsed the tunnel.

  "Thanks, Fly Guys." It came from the radio, and Solti laughed.

  With Wyverns over their heads, the ground assault moved incredibly swiftly. Solti led his squad close to the ground in tight formation toward the position of the Elite 1st Guardsmen Battalion. The Guardsmen had taken the loss of Poplar City very personally and wanted to prove to everyone that not every Guardsman was as unreliable as those who died in that city. Despite the Emperor's best efforts, the news had quickly spread that they died due to negligence. The 1st Guardsmen Battalion moved with a ruthlessness and precision that was closer to special forces than regular army, but they weren't called the Elites for nothing.

  "They have most everything covered..." Solti said through his communicator.

  "The 1st Elite is securing ground for reinforcements, Lieutenant." Immediately came the voice of the Captain. "You will have to help them hold it for the next couple of minutes."

  "Yes, Sir!" Solti confirmed and bellowed another order. "Squad, spread!"

  The Dragon Riders shot in, seemingly, every direction and their Wyverns stopped mid-air. The air was heavy with a magic pressure that sent shock waves towards the bugs blowing them back and even killing smaller ones. Solti smirked seeing Newton's third law in practice. Their magic wasn't omnipotent. Physics still applied in Nilmerthis and nearly half a year out of his year of exhaustingly intensive studies proved to him how ignorant he still was. Not only was he ignorant, but he remained so, albeit more self-conscious about it. Magic could temporarily bypass or change the laws ruling this world. But if their Wyverns stopped in the air, momentum needed to be dispersed somehow. So their Dragon's wings created a devastating wind that blew everything in its path.

  He didn't like the idea of being a static target. Like all Dragon Riders, Solti preferred to constantly move but it was unrealistic to continue circling the Guardsmen's position or to try to support them only in short combat runs. As soon as the Lieutenant was in position, he ordered his Dragon to create a wall of fire between the 1st Elite and the bugs. He knew that the rest of his squad was doing the same. Soon, walls made of most elements, except for the Earth, were erected around the Guardsmen, allowing them to catch their breath. The Bugs screeched with fury and tried to breach the magic walls, but their support spells successfully slowed them down. The Guardsmen gained two precious minutes before the spells were exhausted.

  "Good work, Air Force." The Guardsmen Commander's voice sounded on the radio. "Two more minutes."

  "Lieutenant Solti!" One of his soldiers called him. "The Dungeon looks like it's under siege."

  With his first reaction, Solti wanted to give him a sarcastic response but he took a glance at the Dungeon's tall, stone walls. The bugs appeared to be trying to breach them while something was trying to stop them.

  "I wasn't expecting that..." Solti admitted as he quickly reported the new situation to his commander.

  "We are aware of it, Lieutenant." The voice of his Captain was full of uncertainty. "However, that's not our problem. We are to proceed according to the initial plan."

  "Yes, Sir!"

  ???

  "Three minutes till the reinforcement arrives, Sir," Wes yelled as he reloaded his dedicated marksman rifle.

  "Why the fuck are you yelling, Wes?" Rhys asked in disbelief.

  "Sorry, Sir..."

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  The large Wolfkin slowly shook his head and observed the fight from the height of Dauntless where they had been transferred after Queen Anne's Revenge for this mission’s duration. Blackbeard ordered the Moonshadow Company to stay behind so they waited for the call to join the fight. Even still, the company's dedicated marksmen fired at any commander or, at least, boss-class bugs below but the rest of the soldiers could only watch the battle. It wasn't exactly that they couldn't shoot or anything but, if they tried, they would embarrass themselves just too much. Rhys was about to reply to the overexcited Wes, but he noticed a private call flashing on his HUD.

  "Yes, Ed?"

  "I wanted to consult with someone because the data we are getting from the sensors makes no sense." Blackbeard’s concerned voice was crystal clear. Rhys' helmet's internal display was updated with the observation data gathered by the fighting fleet. "It's like... Vestargo is fighting against this Dungeon as well?"

  "It certainly looks like that." The Wolfkin hummed. "No... I'm certain of it. Look here, on the other side of the Dungeon Vestargo is gathering his Titans! Do you see the aura readings?!"

  "Brace for VLS firing!" The Admiral roared through the dreadnought's external speakers.

  Rhys cursed under his breath and looked around but his soldiers were already ducked down near the ship's reinforced rail. He grabbed the rail at the same moment the nearby hatches of VLS opened with an ominous clang. Moments later, a mighty roar of the climbing warheads tore the air but Rhys was mesmerized, looking at the sight, captivated. It was one thing to watch them being fired on a screen, feeling it even deep inside one of the firing ships, and something completely different seeing it up close. The deadly tubes were much bigger than he expected and, somehow, vicious. They moved gracefully, carried by the flames blasting from their rears and transformed as they came closer to their targets. The air pressure and heatwave of the launch hit the company but they barely felt anything in their Living Armours, and all of them were far too occupied with observation to notice any warning feedback. Their eyes were glued to the already speeding cylinders. Some of them morphed into devastating meteors while some were sizzling across the air as the precise and unstoppable bolts of lightning. The Bug Titans that were waiting for something tried to intercept them but it was pointless once the transformation was completed.

  The smaller Titans fired their strange organic guns at the meteorites, but the effects were minuscule. While they managed to crack one of them with their combined effort, its fragments retained the original course and momentum with very minor deviation. However, Rhys was wrong in his assumption. The Titans' effort wasn't meaningless, but the bugs didn't realise yet how much worse their death would be. While other meteors hit the ground in an apocalyptic eruption that simply erased everything in its vicinity, the meteorite they broke in mid-air landed differently. With a hollow cracking thump, the flaming stone had fractured into thousands of sharp fragments that mercilessly pelted the entire area. The trees cracked, were pierced, set on fire, and everything fiery all at once. The Titans roared in pain and agony as the furious hive of pebbles and shards of various sizes fractured their limbs and carapaces. Its death was painful and inevitable.

  "Target neutralised. Reinforcements en route! Five... Four... Three... Two... One..." The Ensign's voice came from the external speakers. "Now!"

  Below them, a bright flash consumed everything for a brief moment. In the large circle cleared by the 1st Elite, stood the golden army sporting an immaculate banner of Avalon. Its golden chalice held a ruby flame framed in silver, crowned with a majestic crown with ten sparkling jewels and an emerald Yggdrasil in the background, on whose branch was perched a Dragon. Legio Aegis stood tall and proud in perfect formation. Their golden armour with black laminations were reflecting the sun and giving them an aura of unstoppable force. In front of them were three Scions of their Lord. With a blood-curdling eagle scream, Arani took to the skies. His feathers sparkled with electric sparks and jolts of white plasma arced to the ground from his talons before they snapped with a boom as he flew higher. From now on, the sky over the battlefield belonged to Arcadia.

  A slender and proud woman wearing the Praetorian black and gold sat on an enormous, armoured Fenrir. It was the first time Rhys had seen Scion Morrigan sitting on top of Scion Thor as if he were her steed. However, it soon became clear that both of them were in a hurry. The ground around the Fenrir was covered in frost and erupted with icy spikes as the two dashed forward, straight into the Dungeon. Before Rhys realised what was going on, Dauntless tilted and one of the main turrets took aim over their heads. The enormous guns of the dreadnought fired a heartbeat later. The temperature of the air so close to the firing gun was enough to set off the company's armor’s warnings but, fortunately, their shields held. The beams of concentrated fire magic slammed against the Dungeon's walls and ruptured a massive hole. Dauntless changed his course straight into the breach with Legio Aegis charging in their wake in ominous silence below.

  "Major Rhys, I will require your assistance until the Legion manage to fight their way inside. We have to protect the core from being destroyed by Vestargo." Morrigan's voice came directly to his private channel. "I won't lie, it's going to be hell."

  "We wouldn't want a lesser job, Ma'am!" He grinned and opened the company's channel. "We are going to support Lady Morrigan and Lord Thor. Any questions?!"

  "When do we jump?!" Hakkan laughed and summoned his monstrous shield and the magazine-fed automatic shotgun that only he could fire with one hand.

  "Now!" Thor laughed, and the Moonshadow Company stepped into the air, hundreds of metres above the Dungeon without hesitation.

  They plummeted with maniacal laughter and the screams of kids who were finally allowed to go play. One by one, their armours shot a blob of rapidly expanding gel that swallowed the soldiers, only to explode moments later. The height they jumped from was too much even for the Living Armours to absorb the energy. But despite being deprived of the most effective entrance, the Moonshadow Company was more than ready for combat when both scions arrived. Two hundred and fifty of the most elite warriors of Arcadia formed platoons. Their formations were bristling with guns, massive shields, and lethal blades. Major Rhys quickly assessed the situation and gave one simple order.

  "Advance!"

  The soldiers of the Special Forces of Arcadia followed the two Scions without any other order. They opened fire when an enemy tried to stop them but the Cave Kobolds and Salamanders that seemed to serve the local Dungeons completely ignored Arcadians as they were dead set on eliminating every single bug in the area. Rhys wasn't particularly surprised by that. O'llina and, later, Vanlin were contributing greatly to the war against Vestargo by sending numerous patrols into the conquered lands. Vanlin, especially, turned into one of Vestargo's most fierce enemies. The Company targeted mostly bugs and left the local denizens to their devices. They reached a massive tree that grew over a cave. The tree roots framed the entrance and a tunnel led deep underground. As they reached the cave, Morrigan jumped off Thor.

  "I will lead two platoons underground while Thor will hold the entrance with the remaining forces, Major Rhys." The Vampire said.

  "Ren, Paul, Tom you are taking the third, fourth, and fifth platoons. Keep this tunnel shut as if you were doors!" Rhys ordered without waiting for anything else. "Wes, you are taking second platoon. The first platoon, with me! Lead the way, Lady Morrigan."

  The commanders issued orders while the Vampire Queen nodded and turned around. She entered the tunnel with Hakkan and Terry on her sides. Terry, who was basically as large as Hakkan, was more of a traditionalist. His blade, however, was a massive broad sword that most people would need both hands to wield. With the two massive tanks at her sides and Rhys with his command squad right behind, Morrigan dashed towards the Core Sanctum. They had no time if they wanted to take control of this Dungeon. In the maze leading to the Sanctum were hundreds of bugs trying to kill the Core. The narrow corridors of the maze nullified the numerical superiority of the attackers but, fortunately for them, the Arcadians rarely relied on numbers alone. The squads were focused as they descended deeper into the maze of corridors and intersections. From time to time, the sound of a discharged gun was a satisfying reminder that his soldiers were paying attention. The deeper they went, the more bugs and defenders they met. While the bugs seemed surprised that Arcadians were already there, the Dungeon denizens genuinely had no idea how to proceed. Some of the Kobolds threw their hands into the air while Salamanders flattened on the ground with their stubby legs spread wide.

  "What are they doing?" Rhys asked quietly.

  "They are trying to surrender," Morrigan answered equally quietly. "Vestargo treats most of his subordinates like slaves. They couldn't develop; oftentimes, they were forced to entirely scrap everything that they built. As we already know, he was capable of suppressing their memories and turning them into willing accomplices of his bloody tyranny. It's not a surprise that, given a chance, some of the Dungeons chose to rebel."

  "But what if this is a trap?"

  "In that case, please stay alive, Moonshadow Company, until Legio Aegis arrives." She said seriously and drew her slim, black rapier. She lifted it and puddles of green-red ichor boiled and turned into solid blobs. From them, thin spikes of foul insect blood rose to the air as Morrigan used one of her skills to completely wipe out a dozen Vespids that were waiting in a sloppy ambush. "Focus people! We are close!"

  Thank you all for reading.

  I wish you all a great day and as always I wait for your comments.

  A big thanks to who edited the chapter!

  The map of Aderon is on my Discord :)

  https://discord.gg/G6SVrBeDdG