Chapter 64: Retribution

Chapter 64: Retribution

Silvia's POV

The march toward Titan's stronghold was relentless. Silvia led her forces through the ruins of the old world, the skeletal remains of once-thriving cities looming around them like ghosts of the past. The air was thick with dust, swirling in the bitter wind that carried echoes of distant battles. Every step forward felt heavier, but none of them hesitated. They had come too far to turn back now.

Dragon walked beside her, his usual smirk absent, replaced with something unreadable. "So, what's the plan when we get there? Knock on the door and ask nicely?"

Silvia scoffed. "Something like that. Except with more fire."

Tarren moved up from the rear, her sniper rifle slung over her shoulder. "Scouts report that Titan has fortified the main stronghold. Defensive turrets, energy shields, the works. We're not walking in unnoticed."

Garrik scratched at his beard, frowning at the map projected on Silvia's wrist device. "They'll expect a frontal assault. We need another way in."

Silvia studied the layout carefully. The stronghold was massive, its walls reinforced with layers of alloy strong enough to withstand artillery fire. But every fortress had a weakness.

"Here," she pointed to a section on the map. "Their ventilation system runs along the east wall. It's old tech, pre-collapse era. If we can disable their main generators, we can cut their shields and get inside."

Dragon grinned. "And then?"

Silvia's expression hardened. "Then we burn it to the ground."

The Approach

Night fell as they reached the perimeter of the Titan stronghold. The air buzzed with the low hum of energy shields, massive pylons glowing ominously in the darkness. Titan soldiers patrolled the walls, their armor reflecting the cold moonlight.

The stronghold loomed ahead, a sprawling fortress built from salvaged remnants of the old world, reinforced with technology Titan had stolen over the years. A symbol of their control. But tonight, it would fall.

Silvia motioned for silence as they took cover behind a collapsed building. She turned to her team. "Tarren, you and the snipers take position on the ridge. Take out their patrols. Garrik, get your team inside that ventilation system. Once you shut down the power, we move."

Dragon cracked his knuckles. "And what about me?"

Silvia smirked. "Cause chaos."

Dragon's grin widened. "Gladly."

The Infiltration

Tarren's rifle cracked through the night, and the first Titan sentry dropped before he could sound the alarm. Within seconds, the snipers cleared a path. Garrik's team slipped into the ventilation shaft, their movements swift and silent.

Silvia and Dragon waited, tense, listening through the comms. "Almost there," Garrik's voice whispered. "Give me two minutes."

A Titan soldier passed close to their hiding spot, his weapon scanning the area. Silvia held her breath. Then, a sharp static crackled in her earpiece.

"Power's down. Shields are offline."

Silvia didn't wait. "Move!"

The Battle

The resistance surged forward, explosions ripping through the Titan stronghold as they stormed the entrance. Fire and gunfire filled the air, and Silvia's magic blazed to life. Flames shot from her hands, cutting through enemy forces as they scrambled to regain control.

Dragon tore through Titan's ranks, his claws raking through metal and flesh alike. He shifted between forms seamlessly, a blur of destruction that left bodies in his wake.

A massive explosion shook the ground as Garrik's team detonated the shield generators from within, sending sparks and debris into the air. Silvia pushed forward, dodging enemy fire, as resistance fighters overwhelmed Titan's forces room by room.

She reached the control center, her heart pounding. This was it. She pressed her hand to the console, channeling her magic, and the main power grid overloaded in a burst of sparks. Screens flickered and alarms blared as Titan's once-impenetrable fortress began to fail.

The stronghold trembled, flames licking at the corridors as the resistance fighters pushed Titan's forces into retreat. The enemy soldiers were breaking, their formations crumbling in the chaos. But Silvia knew Titan wouldn't give up easily. There would be more battles ahead.

The ground trembled again, this time from something deeper. Silvia turned to Dragon, who sniffed the air, his golden eyes narrowing. "That's not just the fortress collapsing. Something is moving beneath us."

Garrik's voice came through the comms. "Commander, we have a problem. Titan's forces aren't just running—they're retreating underground. They have a secondary base below the ruins."

Silvia clenched her jaw. "Of course they do."

The ground cracked, a massive slab of metal rising from beneath the fortress ruins. An underground bunker, hidden beneath their feet this whole time. Titan wasn't just falling back. They were regrouping for something worse.

"Fall back!" Silvia commanded. "We regroup outside the blast zone. We need to figure out what the hell they're planning down there."

Dragon grabbed her wrist as another explosion rocked the ground beneath them. "We don't have much time. Either we go in now or we lose the chance."

Silvia hesitated. This had been a victory, but the war had just shifted into something deeper—literally. She looked back at her team, then at the gaping entrance to Titan's underground domain.

She exhaled sharply. "Then let's end this."

With that, they plunged into the darkness, chasing Titan into their last refuge.