The winds were cold, but Iden's voice was colder.
"Launch on my mark," he said, standing atop the bunker tower. The launcher was angled skyward—almost vertical.
Kael stood by the fuse glyph. "Trajectory locked. Mini-core warheads armed."
Rael stood further back with a defensive squad, eyes on the sky, while Nyra stood on a higher ridge with a long-range scope.
This wasn't like last time. This was surgical destruction.
[Weapon: Heaven Fang Variant – Skyburst Prototype Mk. II]→ Launch Pattern: Vertical→ Delivery Mechanism: Atmospheric Burst / Mini-Missile Dispersal→ Targets Locked: 1) Command Tent 2) Beast Pens 3) Ammo Depot 4) Summoner Nexus
→ Countdown Initiated: 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…
The launcher roared.
The missile screamed into the air—higher, higher—until it became a thin streak against the dark sky.
For a moment, silence.
Then—
FWOOSH!
At its apex, the shell split—four mini-missiles detached, streaking down like blazing arrows.
[Gravity Burst Engaged – Acceleration +312%]→ Target Lock Holding…→ Impact Inbound in 3… 2…
Valtross stood in his command tent, armored in obsidian-etched scale, sipping from a jeweled flask. Around him, other Candidates flanked their elite summoned creatures.
"He builds a village," Valtross scoffed. "Let him. I'll build a pyre with his bones."
A scout burst in.
"Sir—movement in the sky! Something's—"
He never finished.
The first missile struck the Beast Pens—shattering reinforced cages and igniting the taming pools. A pulse of fire and shrapnel tore through half the ridge.
The second obliterated the Ammo Depot, igniting chain reactions of enchanted powder and mana cores.
The third speared through the Summoner Nexus, annihilating dozens of gathered resources and bindings.
And the final one?
It tore directly through Valtross's command tent.
Valtross activated a defense field barely in time. The shockwave hurled half his elites into trees. His armor cracked. His pride cracked more.
Smoke. Screaming. Beast howls. Fires. Craters.
[System Notification – Multiple Targets Destroyed]
Strike Success: High Impact
→ Damage Inflicted: 62% of Enemy Infrastructure→ Casualties: 48 Troops | 5 Elite Beasts | 2 Candidate Subordinates→ Enemy March Delayed: 12 Hours
New Trait Gained: [Fear of the Sky] – Enemy morale reduced by 25% against aerial strikes.
He rose, blood down his temple.
"Find out who did that."
A trembling Candidate answered. "It… it was Sanctum, sir. The one who made the world announcement."
Valtross's glare could burn gods.
"Then I'll wear his heart on my shoulder."
Kael whispered, "It worked."
Iden didn't speak. He just adjusted his gauntlet and watched the smoke from kilometers away rise into the sky.
"Good," he finally said. "Let that be the opening act."