The Deadman

The coalition of countries, made up of nations from across the continent, had been planning the assault on the heavily fortified island of Wisteria for months and their target date was late September. The island was important, and its capture would give the coalition a chance to stop whatever plans they intend to act.

Operation Witch Queen was going to happen on the first week of October.

Despite the fears of what they can do. From their advanced weaponry to the machines that have again and again pushed. They knew they had to fight this battle.

The coalition's fleet of ships approached the island, the Mages, hidden among their ranks, began to prepare for battle. They meditated and focused their energy, drawing on the power of the elements to fuel their spells. Ready to aid the coalition. They know that there are clans who have backed the Island and that it would be a battle that will lessen the number of clans in this world.

The defenders of the island, aware of the coalition's impending attack, had prepared their own defenses. Rows of power armor-wearing soldiers stood at the ready, their advanced suits providing them with enhanced strength and durability. Behind them, towering MAS and droids stood guard, their weapons at the ready. The whole island of Wisteria was ready for war and their island itself was built like a fortress, ready to fight the world if necessary.

As the coalition's ships reached the shore, the Mages unleashed their first wave of spells. The soldiers, unaware of their magic, just thought of it as another advanced technology. A barrier of shimmering energy enveloped the front lines of the coalition's soldiers, protecting them from the defenders' deadly fire. The coalition soldiers, protected by the Mages' barrier, charged up the beach.

But as they reached the beach, they were met with a devastating sight. The defenders of the island had heavily mined the beach, and the coalition ships were unable to get close enough to the shore to disembark the soldiers.

The Mages, recognizing the danger, quickly cast spells to neutralize the mines and clear a path for the coalition's soldiers. But their efforts were in vain, as the defenders had also deployed powerful artillery on the cliffs above the beach, raining down a relentless barrage of shells on the coalition's ships and soldiers.

As the hours passed, the coalition's soldiers and Mages were slowly pushed back towards the water, unable to advance and unable to retreat. They were running out of supplies, and their casualties were mounting. The Mages, their powers exhausted, could no longer maintain the protective barrier and the coalition's soldiers were exposed to the artillery fire.

With no other options available, the coalition's leaders were forced to call for a retreat. The remaining ships were able to come closer and rescued the soldiers and Mages from the beach, but at a heavy cost. The coalition's assault on Wisteria had been a complete failure, and they were forced to regroup and plan for a new strategy to capture the island.

The coalition's failure on their first assault became a major setback in the conflict, and it was a hard lesson for them to learn. They realized that they had severely underestimated the island's defenses, and that they needed to be prepared for any eventuality in order to succeed in the next assault.

***

The powder was reignited again at the middle of November. With preparation and learning from their mistakes. They were able to clear the beachhead by dropping bombs on the beach. This time they didn’t focus on a single-beach. Surrounding the island, dropping orbital troops to penetrate the island.

But the defenders were very prepared. The anti-air weapons of the island annihilating fifty percent of the drop troopers. Desperate, one of the coalition countries desired to drop a strategic nuclear missile on top of the island, unfortunately, the nuke that was dropped was intercepted by a sudden opening in the sky and above the planet. Halfway the distance between the earth and the moon was a recorded detonation that proved how easily they could defend their island.

A short transmission was sent to that nation. A cold line that warned them and demanded them of their withdrawal as a bomb that could wipe out their capital was placed without anyone knowing. Unable to continue, the country declared a formal surrender, and retreated from the conflict.

But that didn’t stop them from trying harder than ever. The coalition forces and the magi-clans weaved spells and mighty magic to pave a path while the orbital drop troops took care of the artillery fire and allowed the invaders to create a secure location on the beach.

The defenders fought back with all their might, raining bullets and blasts down on the coalition's soldiers. But the Mages' barrier held strong, deflecting the majority of the incoming fire. 

They advanced towards the fortress walls that protected the island. The fortress walls were tall and imposing, made of thick stone blocks and reinforced with steel. The walls were also heavily guarded by power armor-wearing soldiers, as well as advanced MAS and droid units.

The Mages, using their powerful spells, began to attack the fortress walls. They unleashed bolts of lightning and blasts of fire, breaking through the walls and creating openings for the coalition's soldiers to enter. Although the Mages were successful in their attacks, the disruption caused by the technology had led to some of the Mages being unable to summon their power properly, gunned down and coldly executed by the Combat Droids who were fighting back without a single fear.

The coalition's soldiers, protected by the Mages' barrier, charged through the openings, fighting their way through the defenders and finally entering the island.

The coalition's soldiers fought their way through the city, the Mages continued to use their powers to disable the island's defenses. With the most power of the magus fighting the highly advanced Hellrunners and the giants of the Island. They cast spells to disrupt the MAS systems, causing them to malfunction and fall. They summoned powerful gusts of wind to knock the power armor soldiers off balance, making them easier targets for the coalition's soldiers. It was a brutal battle and although the giants were felled and the droids were brutalized by the spells and bullets. Many of the Mages retreated after their initial attack, their magic useless in the heart of the city full of technology with only a few Magus able to participate.

Despite heavy resistance from the defenders, the coalition's soldiers and Mages were able to capture the fortress walls and gain some control of the parts of the city. But the fanatical defenders of the city were not done yet.

As the coalition forces were securing this part of the island, they were suddenly caught off guard by the appearance of a large force of huercos on the battlefield. The huercos, fierce and brutal warriors, had been enlisted by the defenders to bolster their ranks and were now entering the fray. A tide of gray, red, and green skin rushing at them in huge numbers.

Shouting words they didn’t know.

The coalition soldiers and Mages were taken aback by the unexpected appearance of the huercos. The Ogres and Onis appearances of the huercos that led them were armed to the teeth with runic writings on their weapons and smashed through their defenses. They had not anticipated this development and were caught very unprepared. The huercos, seeing the coalition's moment of confusion, seized the opportunity and launched a fierce counterattack.

The huercos charged towards the coalition lines, their brutal strength and powerful weapons causing chaos and confusion among the coalition soldiers. Many wondered if they were abominations and mutants, but after a clarification from the commanders of the Coalition, they were dubbed as inhuman experiments of the Island.

The Mages, who had been resting and recuperating after the intense battle, were caught off guard and struggled to defend against the huercos’ relentless onslaught.

Despite the sudden appearance of the orcs, the coalition forces fought back with all their might. The Mages quickly regained their composure and began to unleash powerful spells, striking the huercos with bolts of lightning and grapeshot of fire. The coalition soldiers, meanwhile, fought bravely, their weapons and training standing them in good stead against the huercos brutal strength.

The battle was fierce and brutal, with both sides taking heavy casualties. But in the end, the coalition's superior training and the Mages' powerful spells proved to be the decisive factors, and the orcs were ultimately fended off.

The coalition forces, victorious once again, secured the part of the island and tended to their wounded. They were relieved that the assault was over, but also knew that they must always be prepared for unexpected developments such as the appearance of huercos. The coalition's success on taking some part of the city were broadcasted all over the world. They had secured this part of the city and were consolidating their gains, preparing for the next phase of the battle.

It was short-lived.

As they were preparing, they were caught off guard by another surprise attack launched by the defeated defenders. The enemy had managed to regroup and launch a counterattack again with reinforcements, using secret underground tunnels secret only to the defenders.

The coalition's soldiers and Mages were caught unprepared, their defenses were down and the reinforcement's numbers were overwhelming. Hellrunners, Huercos, MAS and Droids. The enemy soldiers and new weapons, such as tanks and aircrafts, were able to push the coalition forces back towards the beach again.

The Mages, who were already exhausted from the previous battles, were struggling to keep up with the enemy's surprise attack. They cast spells to create barriers and attack the enemy's tanks and aircrafts, but their efforts were in vain, as the enemies' firepower was too strong. There were a lot of mages that were lost and the brutality of their defense made it clear their grim determination.

As the coalition's soldiers were pushed back towards the beach, they realized that they were in danger of being surrounded and cut off from the ships. They knew that they had to make a quick decision, retreat and abandon the island, or stay and fight to the death.

The coalition's leaders, seeing no other options, ordered another shameful retreat. They signaled the ships to come closer to the shore and the remaining soldiers and Mages were able to board the ships and escape the island. This time they didn’t leave the vicinity of the island and remained in the waters.

The third wave came. This time the ones watching in the back were now planning to send their own forces to attack the island. Attacking the beaches, breaching the fortress walls and entering the city. Instead of trying to secure the walls, the coalition's soldiers fought their way through the heavily defended bunkers and fortifications, their progress slowed by the relentless resistance of the defenders.

As the battle raged on, the mages that were still active in the field continued to use their powers to disable the island's defenses. They cast spells to disrupt their systems. Despite the heavy resistance, the coalition's soldiers and Mages pushed forward, determined to capture the island.  Fighting their way through the streets and buildings, taking control of one section of the island at a time.

As the coalition's soldiers reached the island's center, they encountered the main stronghold of the defenders. The Mages unleashed a final, devastating barrage of spells that were easily repelled by the allied mages defending the Island. As the coalition mages tried to unleash a spell. 

 They were met with a new and unexpected obstacle. The defenders of the island had developed a new defense weapon, a powerful jamming device that temporarily disabled the Mages' powers.

The Mages, recognizing the danger, quickly cast spells to neutralize the jamming device and regain their powers. But their efforts were in vain, as the jamming device was too powerful and its effects lasted for several minutes.

The Mages, once their powers returned, quickly regained their composure and began to unleash powerful spells, striking the island's defenses with bolts of lightning and balls of fire. But the coalition's soldiers had already suffered heavy casualties and the Mages' efforts alone were not enough to overcome the island's defenses.

A seemingly endless wave of defenders. Robots, Non-humans, and even towering humanoid giants. It was clear that they had expected this amount of attackers.

Simone carried Leona to the deck. Taking the armor she was wearing and injecting her with an auto-syringe.

“They have a lot of defenses.”

“That they do.”

“I can feel it, Simone. She’s activating it already. There’s also that creepy feeling back at the end of the last century. You can feel it right?”

“I can't. Stop talking. That missile almost obliterated you. I can take care of myself.”

“You were sitting duck in there without your powers. Don’t be a fool.”

“Just shut up, okay?”

“So where is your old friend?”

It was clear that the coalition was soundly defeated. And a nuclear strike wasn’t much of a threat to the island itself who could possibly drop these bombs without their notice. No one could word it out, but they knew it was over and they failed. 

Simone looked to the side as a figure appeared. Wrapped in a black power armor. The figure carried a pale sword with an obsidian hilt. He walked gracefully, the strange cloak made of biomass fluttering behind.

“Kato?”

The figure stopped. He nodded and then raised his sword and pointed it at the island. First there was silence. Then it was followed by this horrible power that ‘gathered’ the sinews and corpses left behind by the fallen. Turning into these fleshy tendrils that wrapped around the island, holding every defender and crushing those who did not avoid it.

With the cloak turning into these black glossy wings with visible tendons. The figure flew slowly at first, before charging forward, breaking the sound barrier.