Austronesian Empire, Imperial Tanah Melayu, Malacca, A Military Base In Malacca.
2000, 1, 1st Week, January.
Whiii—!
Alarms were blaring throughout the military base as ranks of soldiers were marching throughout the military base in orderly columns. With many parts of the Austronesian Empire falling into the monster's hands, thankfully, all the evacuation centers were safely guarded under military control.
Despite this, many routes to other military bases had been cut off by the monsters, prompting the army to establish a frontline and extend it from there, making incremental recoveries over time.
The Austronesians Liberation Army shall faithfully fight for the motherland through blood and sweat even if sacrifices are to be made.
Meanwhile, the Imperial General was making rapid movements throughout his office. His name was Awang Budiharto Ghazaar. Ghazaar was sweating profusely as he thought up a solution to his problem.
"Supplies are being depleted throughout Tanah Melayu. I must find a way to reconnect the military bases throughout Melaka first. Then from there we will form a front line from which we could slowly but surely reclaim the lands of the Tanah Melayu. The Emperor is currently busy commanding each frontline that was recently formed. I cannot afford to falter in leading our forces," Ghazaar reflected, "If we are to stay in this union, I must first prove the competence of the Malay people. After all, only through this union can we prosper united as one with the entire Austronesian people. I sincerely believe that, as we Austronesians and being part of the Malay people, should be united as the people of Xinhua were united. Only through this unity can we overcome the societal differences in society."
Ghazaar stirred up his emotions and focused his mind on one thing, and that is to liberate the land of his people from the monstrous invaders. He couldn't explain why such monsters appeared on their homeland and to the entire Austronesia, but that doesn't extinguish the fire in his heart, instead in became even brighter and fiercer as the bells of duty were ringing throughout Austronesia, and that only means one thing and that is a call to duty.
A duty to protect the Motherland, to protect the Empire.
After resolving his mind, he strode toward the communication devices and declared, "Now is the time to prove our worth as citizens of Austronesia and as being part of the Austronesian race and of Malay ethnicity! This is a call to duty, a duty for our people and a duty towards our nation! Let us march towards a brighter future for Austronesia! All hail the People's Empire!"
"Hail the People's Empire!" The soldiers all shouted in unison.
"Let's roll out!" Ghazar commanded, gesturing decisively to his side.
Spotlights all over outside of the military base were suddenly lit as the military door opened and columns of amphibious vehicles moved forward in different directions. The mobilization of the army was underway, marking the beginning of the liberation of Austronesia and Tanah Melayu.
"Driver, can you drive faster?" A female soldier in one of the vehicles called out from her position.
"This is as fast as I can go," the driver replied. "If we push harder, I am afraid we might hit something along the way. Plus, we can't move faster as there are more vehicles in front of us, so we need to maintain this pace."
"Understood. I'll man the tank gun in the meantime. Loader, are you locked and loaded?" she asked.
The loader gave a nod. "Affirmative, ma'am. Locked and loaded!"
"Good. Let's stay sharp."
The female soldier who was asking around was now positioned on the main armament of the advanced amphibious tank, keeping a watchful eye on the surrounding area. From time to time, she would open the hatch to scan for enemies, but so far, she hadn't spotted any signs of trouble.
Suddenly, the long convoy of heavily armored amphibious vehicles came to a sudden halt, and was followed by a thunderous explosion erupted at the front of the line, causing chaos.
[Enemy contact! It had taken down multiple of our amphibious tanks!]
The radio crackled with the alarming message, and upon hearing that they've been attacked, the woman's pulse quickened as cold sweat beaded on her forehead. She quickly opened the hatch and looked outside to identify the source of the destruction.
Meanwhile, the driver of the amphibious tank quickly reversed the armored vehicle to be able to maneuver around on what had become a battlefield filled with the wreckage of flaming, destroyed amphibious vehicles. Several of them lay burnt out with crimson red flames, each seemingly taken down in a single, powerful attack.
Upon seeing the culprit in the destruction before them, the female soldier gasped in complete horror by what she saw. Towering at a hundred feet, a humongous monstrous creature loomed over the scene with its huge, serpentine horns, massive wings, and black scaly body dark as the night sky. The sight of it filled her with horror.
At first, her instinct was to scream at the top of her lungs, but she clamped a hand over her mouth just in time. The scene was too overwhelming to fully process, but she managed to regain her composure.
The battle had already begun as a battalion of amphibious tanks scattered and positioned themselves strategically along the streets, aiming their firepower at the beast. The soldier watched as her comrades advanced to confront the creature head-on.
Upon remembering her job, she immediately closed the hatch and took her position inside the tank. She rotated the tank gun toward the creature, but even as the tank shells impacted its scales, the beast remained unfazed.
With the monster in her sights, she hesitated to pull the trigger, her nervousness growing as she observed the battle outside. Other tanks relentlessly blasted their loads at the hundred-foot dragon, but their attacks had little effect. As a return, the dragon unleashed a torrent of crimson flames, incinerating tanks to ashes in seconds. It seems there is no use to beat it and feels this battle is hopeless for them.
As she fought to maintain her composure, she suddenly noticed the creature had its attention on them. It opened its massive jaws, preparing to unleash its fiery breath full of hellfire. Panic gripped her and her crew as they realized they were in the beast's crosshairs.
As they were about to be overcooked, the woman remembered her observations from the battle. The creature was pretty fast and very maneuverable, often dodging many tank shells, and its scales are so incredibly tough that it is able to withstand multiple tank shells without flinching.
But it wasn't invincible, though. She noted that the insides of its mouth appeared vulnerable as it lacked scales, and it seemed less agile while spewing flames.
This weakness presented the perfect opportunity to strike.
She steeled herself and focused her aim on the dragon's open mouth, just as it was about to release another torrent of fire. With a deep breath, she pulled the trigger.
The tank gun roared, the sound echoing through the battlefield as the shell shot forth toward its target.
Her keen understanding of physics allowed her to calculate the perfect timing for hitting the movable dragon's open mouth as it attacked. She drew on the precision required for shooting a flying target, and to her joy, her shot struck its mark. The tank shell exploded inside the dragon's mouth, which burnt half its face.
The creature, though gravely wounded, was not yet defeated and was about to return the favor. But her successful attack inspired the remaining troops from the amphibious tanks, who quickly learned its weakness and adjusted their aim before unleashing a barrage of fire toward the dragon's exposed mouth.
After several moments of relentless shelling, they finally slay it when one shell manages to bullseye inside the dragon's mouth, exploding the dragon's mouth inwardly and delivering the final blow.
With the death of the creature, the battle has ended, though at a heavy cost. Dozens of lives were lost. They lost a valuable military piece and precious lives of the motherland.
Nevertheless, the troops' victory signified a critical step toward liberation!