Caspian’s eyes and face turned red with anger. His lips trembled, and his fists tightened. The wizards beside him created a protective barrier that saved them.
A large part of Caspian’s army was crushed to the ground in the devastation of the bombardment. The sky and air were heavy with flames, smoke, and loud screams on the battlefield. Thousands of soldiers, draugr, giants, trolls, and war beasts—all were reduced to rubble.
And then, to complete their misfortune, the Bernard Empire’s artillery units began to fire at them. Shell after shell fell on the remnants of the Latvian army. Each explosion turned the ground upside down, sending body parts flying into the air. Many tried to escape but they were also finished off by the shell.
One of Caspian’s commanders, who had survived, came trembling towards Caspian. Fear was evident on his face. He said, "Your majesty, we should return to the capital now. We can’t fight with them."
Caspian’s eyes narrowed even more. A strange, twisted smile appeared on his face. He slowly walked towards the commander. Suddenly, his hand shot out and grabbed the commander by the throat. The commander struggled, but it was impossible for him to free himself from Caspian’s strong grip.
"What are you saying?" Caspian roared. "I will retreat? I will give up? Never!"
Then, in a flash, he lifted the commander up and looked him in the face. Caspian’s anger grew even more at the sight of fear in the commander’s eyes. Then, he grabbed the commander’s gums with his hand and, in one blow, tore his face completely off. Blood spurted out, splashing Caspian’s face and clothes.
The commander’s body fell to the ground, screaming and moaning in pain, but Caspian did not look at it. He turned to his dark wizards. His voice was cold and intense, "I will not lose this battle. Do whatever you must! Use it—everything. I want destruction!"
Caspian removed a locket from his neck and handed it to one of his wizards.
The wizards nodded silently in agreement. They took out the ancient tome. They opened it and began to chant spells in a strange language.
The ground beneath them shook, and the sky above them began to swirl. Black clouds, thick and unusual, rolled in from the horizon, covering the sun. The wind howled like a wounded animal, carrying the smell of rot and ash. Lightning began to flash across the sky, not in bright flashes, but in zigzag streaks of dark purple and green.
___________________
General Petrov lowered his binoculars, his face pale. The destruction of the Latvian army had given him a momentary sense of triumph, but now that sense of triumph had turned to fear. The sky above the battlefield was no longer the clear blue of victory—it was a whirlwind of darkness, filled with unearthly power.
"What’s happening!?" Petrov said.
"I don’t know," Eric said.
"This... this isn’t natural. It’s like the sky itself has turned against us." An officer said.
The soldiers in the trenches and bunkers, who had been celebrating their success moments before, now stood frozen. Their eyes were fixed on the sky, where huge, glowing magic circles had begun to form. The circles were pulsing with a ghostly light, their intricate designs shifting and twisting as if alive.
Petrov grabbed the radio. "All units, be advised! The enemy is deploying unknown supernatural forces! Stand by for further orders!"
The magic circles in the sky grew brighter, their light casting an eerie glow over the battlefield. Suddenly, for a moment, everything went quiet—complete silence. Then, a deafening roar.
From the largest magic circle, a massive black bolt of lightning struck the ground near the front lines of the Bernard Empire. The impact created shockwaves in the earth, knocking soldiers off their feet and shaking the bunkers. Several shadowy figures emerged from the site of the impact.
These creatures were humanoid but distorted and deformed, their bodies made of pure shadow and their eyes glowing with an evil red light. They moved at an abnormal speed.
Panic erupted in the trenches.
"OPEN FIRE! LIGHT THEM UP!"
Bernard’s soldiers opened fire, the sound of rifle fire and the machine guns filling the air.
Tracer rounds streaked toward the approaching entities. But the shadow creatures seemed unaffected. The bullets passed through them, only for the creatures to reform moments later.
Soldiers watched in horror as the shadow creatures reformed instantly, their smoky bodies momentarily disrupted but never destroyed.
"Sir, our weapons are not working!" a panicked voice shouted over the radio.
"Artillery! Hit them with everything you’ve got!"
The artillery barrage began. Their shells tore through the air and exploded among the shadowy hordes. But the high-explosive rounds seemed to have little effect. The creatures simply vanished into the smoke and continued their relentless advance.
Petrov’s jaw tightened, and he ordered his officers to order the troops to withdraw to the second line. The order was quickly sent over the radios.
"All units, fall back to secondary defensive positions! Do not engage in close combat! I repeat, fall back immediately!"
The radio crackled with chaotic voices as field commanders acknowledged the order.
"Roger that, Command! Falling back!"
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"Delta Squad retreating—Jesus, they’re fast!"
"This is Charlie-2, requesting covering fire for withdrawal!"
♦♦♦
The thunderous hum of rotor blades echoed through the air as helicopters powered up on the deck of the Bernard Empire aircraft carrier, BNS Hope. The ocean churned beneath the massive warship, its deck bustling with flight crew in color-coded uniforms, each performing final checks before takeoff.
At the center of the flight deck, a sleek, black helicopter stood apart from the rest.
This helicopter is not an ordinary helicopter. It was specially customized for Alberto. It was a sophisticated, magical, and technologically advanced aircraft. It was named "Magic Storm". Every part of the helicopter was specially designed so that it could survive in any situation and deal with enemies. A magic core was installed in the helicopter. Some of the special facilities of this helicopter were the ability to become invisible, a magic resistance system, and also, the helicopter had an automated shield system, which automatically activated upon detecting any danger. A nuclear power system has been used to operate this helicopter. Due to this, the helicopter can fly almost indefinitely.
The aircrew chief, gave a sharp salute.
"All systems are green, sir. We’re ready for liftoff on your command."
Carl gave a firm nod.
"Majesty, all safety protocols have been implemented. Escort teams are in position. You may board now."
"Hmmm"
Alberto nodded and entered the helicopter, taking his seat. Elizabeth is also with him. She was happy because it was the first time she was going somewhere with Alberto.
The pilot, an ISSD officer, adjusted his headset, initiating final checks.
Pilot (Callsign: Valkyrie-1): "Tower, this is Valkyrie-1, Magic Storm. Pre-flight checks complete. Engines running at optimal capacity. Requesting clearance for takeoff."
BNS Hope ATC (Callsign: Tower-Actual): "Valkyrie-1, Tower-Actual. Copy that. Wind at 12 knots, stable conditions. Escort formation standing by. You are clear for liftoff. Maintain vector to Grid Echo-Seven-Four. Confirm ROE for this flight."
Pilot: "ROE is weapons tight. Mission is high-priority VIP transport. Escort squadron on defensive standby."
The pilot turned his head, addressing the co-pilot seated beside him.
Pilot: "Flight systems nominal. Countermeasures armed. Activate cloaking field on standby—only engage on my mark."
Co-Pilot: "Roger. Cloaking system primed. Magic Core stable at 97% efficiency. All defensive systems are online."
A quick glance at the HUD confirmed all five escort helicopters—heavily armed attack variants—had taken their positions in a tight V-formation around the Magic Storm.
The aircraft shuddered as the rotors reached full power. With a precise motion, the pilot pulled the collective, and the Magic Storm ascended smoothly into the sky, leaving the flight deck behind.
ATC: "Valkyrie-1, Tower-Actual. You are airborne. Maintain formation. Tactical uplink active. Godspeed."
As they climbed past 1,000 feet, the escort pilots checked in over the secure comms network.
Escort Leader (Callsign: Guardian-1): "Guardian-1 to Valkyrie-1, we have you in visual. Holding formation. Tactical scans are negative for aerial threats."
Valkyrie-1: "Copy, Guardian-1. Maintain overwatch. ROE remains weapons tight—engage only on confirmed threats."
______________________
Alberto was looking out the window. The vast forest spread out below him. Occasionally, strangely large birds and animals could be seen.
He then turned to Elizabeth. "So where is our first destination?"
Elizabeth straightened her head and said, "We will go to the Joint Organic Research Facility first."
Alberto thought for a moment and said, "Ah! That research facility, where our scientists are continuing their research on the ecology and food production of this island."
Elizabeth nodded in agreement. "That’s right, Your Majesty. Our scientists have reported that the soil on this island is very fertile and contains some rare minerals that are not found in the soil of ordinary agricultural areas. These minerals accelerate the growth rate of plants and increase the nutritional value of fruits and grains many times over. In fact, the foods grown on this island are not only nutritious but also capable of rejuvenating human cells. These foods play a special role in the physical size of the people living on this island being 8-10 feet."
"I see, I hope we can put it to good use," Alberto said after thinking for a while.
Elizabeth smiled a little. "Also, Your Majesty, the soil and environment of this island are formed in such a way that the food produced here contains a large amount of ’bio-enhanced nutrients’. These nutrients not only accelerate the physical growth of people but also accelerate the functioning of their cells and the DNA repair process. Eating food here increases the nutritional value and energy of an ordinary person many times over. In addition, this island is located in a special ’geo-biological zone’, where a unique combination of the Earth’s magnetic field and solar energy occurs. As a result, the plants and animals that grow here naturally grow to enormous sizes. Scientists have called it a ’genetic acceleration zone’. It has also been shown in the laboratory that eating special grains and fruits from this island can increase the muscle strength and nervous response of ordinary people by about 30-50% compared to the average person. Which we are currently using in creating Super Soldiers. In addition, It also slows down age-related cell loss, which can increase our people’s average life span from 80 to 200 years. Some people on the island have already exceeded 200 years of age, which proves that this food really gives a long life."
Alberto thought. "If this is true, then we can bring about a breakthrough in medicine and research."
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Just then, the pilot’s voice came over the radio. "Your Majesty, we are approaching the target. ETA: two minutes."
Alberto looked out the window and saw the research centre slowly coming into view in the distance. The huge buildings stood in the middle of the forest.