Battle for the Sailon Occupation Zone (2)
[Sailon Occupation Zone]
Sailon was an occupation zone made up of seven oases. Two large ones sat in the center, surrounded like a folding screen by five smaller ones. If the central oases fell, it was over.
The large oases capable of garrisoning massive forces like the Tarun Kingdom army were only those two in the center. The only places with high walls sturdy enough to defend against enemy Magic Knights were also just those central oases. Everywhere else had only low sand barriers and small lakes to block the sandstorms.
Wayne arrived at the Sailon Occupation Zone alone, piloting his Predator.
“Welcome, Lord Wayne.”
Rakins, the former captain, rushed out to greet him. Wayne dismounted from his Gigant, brushing off the sand.
“Whew! This sandstorm is no joke.”
“This time of year is the worst.”
“Take care of the sand buildup on my Gigant, would you?”
“Yes, sir. Right away.”
Wayne slowly inspected the walls first. They encircled the entire city, standing thirty meters high and twenty meters thick. These were anti-Gigant walls built long ago by the Sailon Kingdom to hold off the empire's Gigants.
Rakins, the former captain, explained, “The walls are made from rocks hauled in from the northern Kalrama Mountains, so even Magic Knights would take a long time to breach them. And with the cannons positioned, they won't break through easily.”
Wayne nodded in satisfaction.
“Where are the Tarun Kingdom forces right now?”
“Garrisoned at the last oasis, five days out.”
“And the civilians?”
“Evacuated to the Kalrama Mountains as you ordered.”
“Good work. What's the enemy's force size?”
“We've counted around four hundred 3rd-class Magic Knights and twenty-five 2nd-class ones. Add in the mechanics and infantry, and it's about four thousand total.”
“Impressive. But at least no 1st-class Magic Knights. So what's our force?”
Rakins's expression darkened as he gauged Wayne's reaction. “Combining both fortresses, we have five 2nd-class Gigants and ninety-one 3rd-class ones. That's it.”
“Hm! Not bad at all.”
Despite the overwhelming numerical disadvantage, Wayne stayed positive.
“Um... Lord Wayne, where's your reinforcement force?”
“I'll bring them soon, so don't worry. First, move your troops.”
“How should we position them?”
“Bring all your forces and firepower to this northern fort.”
Rakins looked shocked. “But if they take the other fort, defending this one loses all meaning. We'd be isolated, and a prolonged siege would put us at a disadvantage.”
“No need to worry. An even larger relief force will head to the other fort.”
“What? More troops?”
Wayne nodded with a smile. “I'll go fetch them now. Just follow my orders.”
“Yes, sir. Understood.”
Rakins felt uneasy. He knew Wayne's command skills firsthand, but if either fort fell, the Tarun Kingdom army would have a secure base to launch encirclement or siege tactics.
Wayne arrived atop a small rocky hill a day's ride west of the Sailon Occupation Zone oases.
'That's the Quicksand Desert.'
The desert to the west was an eerie place. Fierce winds constantly blew, with sand flowing like rivers. One wrong step, and you'd be sucked into the dunes like quicksand—a desert of death.
Monsters carrying magic stones lived in such a hellscape, and hunting them was the only way to harvest stones for building more Steel Golems.
'First things first—find the Valhalla Gate.'
Wayne sifted through King Bras's memories to locate the cave entrance. After so many years, sand likely buried it. But find the landmark, and the rest was easy.
He scoured the rocky hill.
'Got it!'
Soon, he spotted a massive cobra-shaped rock—the marker. He began digging below where the cobra's mouth pointed.
How long had he dug? Finally, a huge cave mouth emerged. Wayne widened it enough for his Predator and plunged inside.
About ten minutes in, a vast underground cavern appeared. The walls and ceiling were perfectly smooth, forming a massive dome. In the center stood a pillar.
This was another Valhalla Gate, built by ancient dwarves for magic stone mining.
'Spotless.'
All eight pillars remained intact—no repairs needed. Wayne just dusted them off, infused Odd into King Hammer Yol Das, and slammed it into the floor.
Crackle!
Lightning flashed across the pillars, and a translucent gate shimmered open between two of them.
“Man, dwarf magic is something else.”
Wayne marveled again at ancient dwarf teleportation tech.
Thud thud thud!
“Where are we?”
“Whoa! Another Valhalla Gate opened!”
“Wayne! Incredible!”
From inside, Brock and the dwarf trio already emerged, towing Steel Golems.
“It's not me—your ancestors were the incredible ones.”
Curtis and the Gigant pilots, alerted ahead, assembled too.
“No time to waste. Move!”
“Yes, sir!”
[Eastern Oasis, Sailon Occupation Zone]
Boom boom boom!
Tarun Kingdom Magic Knights poured into the oasis one after another.
“Halt! The rest head to the southern oasis!”
Over 150 Magic Knights filled the oasis perimeter, so the remainder split off. With such vast numbers, the Tarun forces divided across the three eastern and southern oases.
Tarun Kingdom command gathered at the eastern oasis.
“Commander Goergen, why wait? Crush both forts at once. I'll lead the charge!”
Captain Kadir raised his voice.
“Agreed. Assign one fort's vanguard to Major Adnan too. We'll smash the gates and seize the oasis in one go.”
Captain Adnan brimmed with confidence. Their spies knew exactly how many Gigants escaped Kallung Grand Territory and garrisoned here—no more than a hundred total, split across two forts. At most fifty per fort.
Commander Goergen glanced at the man standing at the rear. “What do you think, Halit?”
Halit, clad in black robes and a black turban, nodded. “I'll yield the glory of victory to the young captains.”
“Much appreciated.”
“Our falcon unit will rest at the southern oasis then. Call if needed.”
“Got it. Glory to Ner-gal!”
“Glory to Ner-gal!”
Halit veiled his mouth with black cloth and departed.
“Finally, revenge for that humiliation five years ago!”
“Glory to Ner-gal!”
The young captains buzzed with excitement at the chance for glory.
“Commander Goergen, Captain Serkan has returned.”
“Bring him in!”
The scout commander who'd probed enemy lines reported.
Snap!
“Commander, I've scouted their defenses.”
“Report.”
“As expected, their forces are split across the central two oases. But the Gigant count is way higher than anticipated!”
“What? How many?”
“North fort has just over 110 Gigants. South has around 150.”
“Over 260?”
Goergen looked incredulous.
“And the south fort has what looks like a 1st-class Gigant.”
“A 1st-class Gigant?”
Goergen's face twisted in horror, flashing back to nightmares from five years ago.
“An imperial 1st-class Gigant here now?”
“Yes! A ten-meter red-glowing one—unlike anything I've seen.”
“Unbelievable! I have to see it myself.”
Commander Goergen rushed off with his captains to scout the enemy forts.
They first climbed the tallest dune to survey the southern oasis fort.
“Heavens! How did they amass so many here?”
“No idea. We know only 60 Gigants slipped Kallung—and that's all that garrisoned here.”
Before them stood 150 five-meter 3rd-class Gigants, plus a few 2nd-class and that blood-red 1st-class behemoth. Hundreds of short dwarves bustled about too.
“On to the northern oasis!”
Goergen checked the north next.
“Impossible! Over 110 here too!”
Easily over a hundred at a glance, with cannons crowding the walls.
“Fewer Gigants than south, but they've concentrated all the artillery here.”
“What's that massive black one?”
“Intel says it's a dwarf-piloted Steel Golem. Slower and less agile than a 3rd-class Gigant, but steel-framed for superior power.”
Goergen fell deep into thought. Taking both forts at once seemed impossible now—their numbers were too high.
“Should we take them one by one?”
“That's not the issue! While we attack one, Gigants from the other could hit our rear supply lines. We'd have to peel off defenders for the oases, blunting our advantage.”
“Ah!”
His adjutant paled in realization.
“Delaying favors them. The rear oases are too small for garrisons.”
Goergen knew that well. They needed one fort secured yesterday for a base. Their three oases were cramped, offering little shelter or defense.
“If we attack, north seems better—fewer Gigants, no 1st-class.”
Goergen nodded at Captain Serkan's words. “Damn it. No choice.”
Bastian eyed Wayne anxiously. “Boss, think they'll buy it?”
“They already have. What would you do in their shoes?”
Bastian pondered. “Honestly? I'd fall for it too.”
“Haha! See? Bluffing works without real troops—but we do have the Gigants!”
Bastian was awed by Wayne's boldness. The plan was pure showmanship. The south fort now held Martias, three 2nd-class Gigants, and 150 Stormtroopers—all their territory's Gigants relocated. A thousand dwarves wheeled them around on casters, with only one real pilot: Lorenne.
“Watch—they'll hit our north fort. And with half their force stuck guarding oases, they won't overwhelm us.”
“No need to watch. Here they come!”
Two hundred Gigants approached the northern oasis—just as Wayne predicted. The Tarun Kingdom army had bought the bluff, leaving half behind for oasis defense.
As the Tarun Kingdom forces advanced slowly, Wayne boarded his Predator.
“Battle stations!”
“Load the cannons!”
Gigant pilots mounted up and assembled. Cannons atop the walls were primed.
With preparations complete, Predator moved to the eastern gate.
Rakins asked in alarm over comms. Wayne replied,
The gate swung open. Predator strode out alone.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!Bang!
His Odd-infused voice boomed everywhere. The Tarun formation, just forming up, wavered.
“He's provoking us!”
“Commander, that's definitely a 2nd-class Gigant. We should send one of ours!”
Goergen rubbed his temples. Kadir had more skill and experience, but as royalty, any mishap would be trouble.
His adjutant advised, “Send Major Adnan. He's new to 2nd-class Magic Knights, but top among young pilots.”
Goergen nodded. “Fine! Send Adnan!”
“Send out Major Adnan!”
Gripping a long spear, an eight-meter Magic Knight advanced slowly.
“Leopard!”
“Leopard's stepping up!”
“Raaah!”
Tarun cheers erupted. Its ochre body mimicked desert rock, striped black like a sleek panther.
Clank! Hiss! Predator's hatch opened, revealing the fearless pilot.
“I'm Wayne Stein!”
Seeing him, Adnan smirked inwardly. 'What? Some snot-nosed kid barely out of his teens!'
Wayne looked no older than twenty. Adnan oozed confidence.
Wayne chuckled, sealing his hatch. As Predator raised its mace, Adnan channeled mana, slapping the magic circle in Leopard's cockpit.
Vreeee!Boom!
The mana engine roared, boosters at heels, waist, and shoulders blasting wind. The heavy 2nd-class Magic Knight surged forward.
Leopard leveled its spear, charging fiercely at Predator. Wayne's green Odd Eyes flashed as he scattered red and white Odd everywhere. In that instant, a spark crackled on the mace.
Crackle!