Chapter 5: The Land of Machines Episode 12: The Encroaching DreadPart (2/2)

As they walked, Draco looked up at his teammates and spoke with an unusually serious tone, "Hey, everyone… I want to have a long-range attack too."

His words sounded almost like a joke, but the sadness and determination in his eyes silenced any laughter. The team fell quiet, lost in thought, each of them wondering how they could help him.

Suddenly, Lunar Cipher's voice crackled through their earpieces. "What if you tried throwing something like a discus?" His voice remained calm and composed, brimming with quiet confidence.

Everyone froze for a moment, startled by his unexpected interjection, but they quickly composed themselves. At this point, nothing about Lunar's abilities surprised them anymore—not even the way he effortlessly hacked into Osiris's system. A suggestion like this was child's play for someone of his caliber.

Draco picked up a flat piece of scrap metal and gave it a try. The metal spun in the air but wobbled uncontrollably, falling too quickly or spinning off-course. It lacked stability and precision.

"It's not working…" Draco muttered with a sigh, his shoulders slumping in defeat. Yue approached him and gently patted his back. "Don't give up yet, Brother Draco. We'll find a way to make it work!"

Akira, who had been watching silently, suddenly perked up, as if struck by an idea. "I once saw a ninja cartoon where they used spinning weapons like chakrams. Can you picture that?" he asked with a faint smile.

Draco furrowed his brow. "You mean the kind that spin really fast when you throw them?"

"Exactly," Akira replied. "Try adjusting the weight distribution. Can you manipulate the gravity in different parts of the object? If the center is lighter but the edges are heavier, it might spin more stably."

Draco picked up another piece of scrap metal and used his gravity-manipulating ability. He made the center lighter and the edges heavier, creating a design similar to a gyroscope. The metal spun more steadily this time, but it moved too slowly and lacked destructive power.

"What about making the edges lighter and the center heavier?" Mirelle suggested, adding her expertise in magic flow control.

Draco tried again, adjusting the gravity as suggested. This time, the metal spun faster and flew with immense force, but it lacked precision, veering wildly off course.

Akira observed carefully and offered another idea. "Try combining both approaches—alternate the gravity across different sections, like creating waves that bounce back and forth."

Draco focused intensely, channeling his power with as much precision as he could muster. It took an immense amount of effort, but he didn't give up. Mirelle guided him with tips on stabilizing his magic flow, while Yue and Elina stood by, offering constant encouragement.

Finally, he succeeded. The scrap metal spun with a perfectly balanced mix of speed, power, and precision. It flew forward in a stable trajectory, striking its target with devastating force.

"I did it!" Draco exclaimed, leaping slightly into the air and pumping his fist. His face radiated pride, like a soccer player scoring the winning goal in the final seconds of a match. The joy on his face was almost contagious, filling the air with a sense of triumph.

Yue clapped her hands, her eyes glistening with tears of joy. "Congratulations, Brother Draco!"

Akira grinned and added, "It'd be even better if you infused it with fire magic to increase its spin speed."

Draco's jaw dropped briefly before he smiled with newfound determination. "Got it! I'll make it even better!"

When the team reached the designated hiding spot outlined in Lunar's plan, they found equipment neatly prepared for them. Large cloaks with a white, gray, and black camouflage pattern—an elegant mix of artistry and technology—were folded neatly on a worn metal table. A small hologram of Lunar Cipher appeared, hovering in the air. His voice was calm yet firm as he explained the gear.

"These cloaks are simple to use. Wear them and stay still, and you'll be completely undetectable. If you must move, make sure to do so slowly and silently. The cloaks' weakness is that they can't block sound. However, they will shield you from visual detection, heat sensors, and radar."

The team donned the cloaks in silence. Elina examined hers with a scowl and muttered just loud enough for Lunar to hear, "No wonder we could never catch you…"

Lunar chuckled softly, his tone laced with playful arrogance. "Not exactly. These cloaks are decent, but they're not as advanced as the ones I use. Besides, even without them, no Guardian could ever catch me."

Elina gritted her teeth but had to admit he was in a league of his own. Despite her distaste for relying on him, she couldn't deny that his support had significantly improved their chances. She decided to keep her complaints to herself, choosing not to provoke another argument.

Once everyone was ready, they took positions in an abandoned building near the hiding spot. The silence from Zekhtau's forces was unnerving, a foreboding calm before the storm.

The darkness around them seemed to press down on the team, suffocating and heavy. The eerie quiet was broken only by distant, rhythmic stomps—a clear sign of an approaching army. They stayed as still and silent as possible, knowing any noise could give away their position.

Yue crept closer to Akira, her wide amber eyes filled with worry. She clung tightly to his arm, as though afraid that if she let go, he might disappear. Akira placed a comforting hand on her head, stroking her hair gently. Even Mirelle, normally composed, found herself clutching the hem of Akira's sleeve without realizing it.

Draco leaned against a wall, lost in his thoughts, his hands moving subtly as if practicing his new spinning weapon. Meanwhile, Elina crouched with her ear to the ground, her sharp senses focused on detecting the enemy's movements.

The distant stomps grew louder, each vibration in the ground like a drumbeat of dread. Yue trembled, her tears threatening to spill as her gaze stayed fixed on Akira. He wrapped his arms around her, silently transferring all the reassurance he could muster.

Then, the stomping crescendoed into a deafening halt, the stillness as sharp as a blade. It was as though the entire world held its breath—until the storm finally broke.

The roar of tank cannons shattered the silence like a monstrous war drum. Rockets screamed through the air, their piercing whines cutting through the night. Sniper lasers hissed like invisible blades slicing through the wind, and the most terrifying sound of all—the high-pitched whine of the prism photon laser—grew louder and louder, a sound so sharp it felt like it would tear their nerves apart.

When the whine reached its peak, everything erupted into a blinding light, like a miniature sun descending upon them. The shockwave from the sonic boom shook the building, threatening to bring it down. Yue bit down on her sleeve to stifle a scream, while Akira, despite trying to stay calm, felt his heart racing like never before.

"This is our moment!" Lunar's voice cut through the chaos, calm but urgent.

Akira's team had been waiting for this moment, knowing that every second wasted could mean lives lost. They moved swiftly yet silently, their every step a gamble in this deadly game.

This was a high-stakes battle, and they had no choice but to give it everything they had.