Chapter 69: Last Stand

Chapter 69: Last Stand

Silvia's POV

The air was thick with tension as Silvia stood atop the ridge overlooking the battlefield below. Titan's forces were on the move, their heavily armored units cutting a path through the wasteland, heading straight for their encampment. Dust swirled in the distance, kicked up by the massive transport vehicles hauling artillery and reinforcements. The rhythmic rumbling of their march vibrated through the ground, a relentless drumbeat of war.

"They're moving faster than expected," Garrik muttered, lowering his binoculars. "At this rate, they'll be here by sunrise."

Tarren cursed under her breath. "We're running out of time. We barely have our defenses in place."

Silvia scanned the terrain, her mind racing. We have to hold. We don't have a choice. "Then we use everything we've got. We funnel them into the narrow valley, force them to bottleneck. Garrik, set up the explosives along the ridge. If they try to push through, we bury them."

Garrik grinned. "Now you're speaking my language."

Dragon, leaning casually against a crumbling pillar, stretched his arms. "And where do you want me?"

Silvia shot him a look. "Where you always are—causing chaos. We need their ranks broken before they even reach us."

He smirked. "Ah, a distraction. My specialty."

Preparing for War

The camp was alive with movement. Fighters armed themselves, fortifications were reinforced, and tension crackled through the air. Silvia moved through the camp, stopping to speak with her people, offering words of encouragement, ensuring morale didn't waver. They had come too far to falter now.

Tarren adjusted the scope on her rifle. "We're outnumbered five to one, Silvia. We need a miracle."

Silvia exhaled. "Then let's be the miracle."

Dragon fell into step beside her as they walked toward the front lines. "You always get like this before a battle. Focused, intense, absolutely irresistible."

She rolled her eyes but felt a smirk tug at her lips. "Dragon, if we survive this, I'll actually let you take me on that date you keep talking about."

He raised a brow, eyes glinting with mischief. "Now that is motivation."

She chuckled, shaking her head. "You'd think the survival of an entire city would be motivation enough."

Dragon shrugged. "That's secondary. You? Priority number one."

Silvia punched his arm playfully. "Focus. We have a battle to win."

The First Strike

The sun had barely crested the horizon when the first explosions rocked the valley. Garrik's traps went off perfectly, sending Titan's lead units into disarray. Fires raged as supply vehicles were overturned, soldiers scrambling for cover amidst the chaos. The battlefield was an inferno, a cacophony of screams, gunfire, and the roar of magic.

Silvia stood on the battlefield, flames licking at her fingertips as she unleashed a barrage of fire. Titan's forces tried to push forward, but her flames forced them back, engulfing their front lines in a wall of searing heat.

From above, Tarren and her snipers picked off high-value targets, thinning their ranks with deadly precision. Garrik's demolition teams continued to set off controlled blasts, further crippling their movements.

Dragon was a blur of destruction, shifting seamlessly between forms, ripping through Titan's forces like a force of nature. He fought with wild abandon, a grin plastered on his face as he sent enemy after enemy crashing into the dirt.

"Having fun?" Silvia called out as she incinerated a group of advancing soldiers.

Dragon flipped midair, landing beside her with a smirk. "Always."

A stray bullet whizzed past her ear, forcing Silvia to duck. Dragon's grin faded as he yanked her down just in time for a mech's cannon to blast a crater where she had stood.

"Hey! I still need you in one piece for that date!" Dragon barked.

Silvia coughed, dust filling her lungs. "Noted!"

The Breaking Point

Titan's forces regrouped, launching an aggressive counterattack. Mechs stomped through the battlefield, their energy cannons firing with devastating force. The ground trembled beneath their advance, shaking the very foundation of the battlefield.

"Focus fire on those mechs!" Silvia shouted.

Resistance fighters launched an assault, blasting the towering machines with grenades and concentrated magic. The air filled with fire and smoke as explosions rocked the battlefield. The deafening roar of war drowned out everything else.

Dragon grabbed Silvia's arm, pulling her back as a mech's cannon barely missed her. "Try not to die before our date."

She shot him a look. "Same to you."

More enemy reinforcements poured in, overwhelming the defenses. Silvia's heart pounded. They needed a decisive move.

"Dragon!" she called. "We need to cut their power! Find their generators!"

Dragon's golden eyes glinted. "On it! Keep them off me for five minutes!"

Silvia turned back to the battlefield, fire surging in her veins. "I can give you three."

She pushed forward, flames bursting from her hands as she wove through Titan's ranks. Every step was a struggle, every breath filled with smoke and blood. A Titan officer charged at her, his blade glinting in the firelight. Silvia ducked under his swing and drove a fiery punch into his chest, sending him hurtling backward.

From the ridge, Garrik shouted through the comms. "Their supply chains are almost cut off! One final push, Silvia!"

Tarren's voice cut in. "Snipers are running low on ammo. We need this to end now!"

Silvia's mind raced. They had to finish this before they were completely overwhelmed.

Dragon's voice crackled through the comms. "Generators are down! Take them out now!"

Silvia didn't hesitate. She raised her hands, summoning every ounce of power left within her. The flames roared to life, hotter than they had ever been. With a single devastating motion, she released a massive inferno, engulfing Titan's remaining forces in a sea of fire.

The battlefield fell silent.

Silvia stumbled back, her vision blurring. Dragon caught her before she could collapse. "Easy there, firestarter. You did it."

She blinked up at him. "We did it."

Dragon smirked. "And now, as promised, that date."

Silvia huffed a tired laugh. "Fine. But only if you carry me there."

He grinned, scooping her up effortlessly. "Done."

The war wasn't over, but tonight, they had won.