The hivemind is conquering for me? Chapter 765: Step 10: Siege

Moments after I received the shield from Cassian and expressed my thanks, the commanders I'd assigned to direct the troops—since I held the front line—gave the signal to advance.

Traversing the opening six miles to the fortress presented no challenge. No ambushes, no pitfalls. Lacking an orbital air force, the Drakoshi couldn't threaten us with strafing attacks or bombardments.

The Drakoshi's primary defense over that stretch had already been neutralized by a dashing young hero with a noble spirit. Once the war ended, I'd honor him with a commendation for his bold courage and striking appearance...

Yet, tension mounted as we neared the final mile. Discussing battle and triumph was easy, but when the steady march quickened to a jog upon entering the turret emplacements' firing range, silence fell.

Nothing broke the quiet except the stomp of thousands of boots, the rumble of engines, and the sharp clicks and hums of machinery.

The Drakoshi might unleash fire at any instant, yet we pressed on. My instinct told me, though—with their ammo shortages despite reinforcements—they held back, waiting for surer shots.

Tanks and heavy armor swung their guns toward the wall, as the Phalanx readied for the assault ahead. Their aim wouldn't hold true until we closed to half a mile.

Sadly, my instinct proved right. Just as we crossed the mile marker, the front line dosed up on the Lyssa drug and started howling wildly before breaking into a frenzied dash, miasma swirling around them.

The instant they surged forward.

Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka

Fury exploded from the Drakoshi walls. A storm of thousands of weapons zeroed in on us. I snapped my shield up at once; the barrage's impact forced a loud swallow from my throat. Skaja ducked low behind me, treating me like a human barrier, Sithrik coiled safely beside a tank, and Nerissa summoned her personal shield.

Sadly, fortune didn't favor all. Screams of agony pierced the air—piercing, tormented, then cut short. Again and again. Thousands perished every second. I-I forced my emotions aside and pushed ahead.

Comfort came from knowing the tanks absorbed the worst, sparing more lives than a blind human assault would. Phalanx clusters endured thanks to them, while others stormed on. Their valor stirred me, giving all for their empire.

Thus, I forged onward. Every stride, every fallen comrade brought us nearer to the operation's next stage, where victory would shift our way.

Reaching the half-mile point, the Castellan's autocannons roaring marked the cue. Through the comm device handed to me, I hailed the elite team lingering deeper in the Phalanx and bellowed.

"Iilr! Now!"

"Yes Apollo!"

That was the only response before, after what seemed endless seconds, blasts thundered. Half the Drakoshi guns fell silent as the first two wall layers collapsed under the charges his squad had planted beforehand.

This moment would repay those sacrifices a hundredfold.

Gripping my shield in my right hand, I hoisted it aloft, shrugging off stray shots from remaining walls, and unleashed a bloodcurdling yell, pouring every ounce of power into it until my throat tore raw.

"CHARGE!"

My bellow drowned out the gunfire entirely, propelling me into a sprint. The banner on my back, my imposing form breaking ranks, ignited a fresh surge in the Phalanx—they roared wildly, devouring the final half-mile like elite sprinters.

...

I didn't surge too far out front, but drew recovering Drakoshi fire as I closed in, answering with my Minigun for suppressive blasts on my wall sector.

My eight thousand rounds vanished in a flash. I reloaded, unleashing another eight thousand, then reloaded again until depleted.

By that point, I'd hit the debris of the Drakoshi's former first wall, banner raised high on my back, becoming the initial invader of the fortress.

Flipping my shield to my left arm, I called forth Zircon amid a rush of dozens of Drakoshi charging, hundreds more firing. Yet all this wreckage... endless ammo.

While parrying a blow with my fresh shield and riposting with a throat-slashing strike, I wielded my Gyrokinesis to hurl thousands of stone chunks, pummeling the foes.

I was unable to observe the results of my efforts because an assault approached from my left side. I moved to intercept it, yet it never struck as Nerissa had abandoned her shield and wielded her spear with lethal precision.

Skaja rushed to assist me too, her spear shining with golden energy while she sliced through drakoshi like a scythe harvesting wheat.

Knights surged over the ruined walls next, unleashing devastation through close-quarters gunfire and savage melee strikes alike. The vanguard proved ruthless, precise, and above all, rapidly bolstered.

"Die Grey fuckers!!!!"

Phalanx troops flooded in afterward. Their green armor quickly grew drenched in gore amid the fighting. They blended short-range shots with bayonet assaults. Thousands perished. Yet now, they dragged Drakoshi down alongside them.

...

The clash over the walls turned into a slaughterhouse. Drakoshi outmatched humans in strength by far. Often, over ten Phalanx were required to fell even an unarmored Drakoshi. That count rose sharply for every extra meter of a Drakoshi's stature.

These resilient enemies challenged the phalanx fiercely, yet the phalanx fought backed by allies this day.

"Raaaaghhh!" A fierce female battle roar echoed close by. Facing doom while sprawled on her back, a Phalanx fired upward at a War lad. Though her arm lay shattered, she gripped her gun with it regardless.

Defiant till the end.

Her shots persisted until bewilderment hit as a blade plunged abruptly into the Drakoshi’s skull. The creature's lifeless form crumpled at her feet.

I dashed to help her and hauled her upright.

No exchange of words passed between us. Covered in blood and battered, her helmet split halfway with crimson blurring one eye. Yet she wasted no moment before charging off yelling, snatching ammo from a slain comrade en route to outflank another Drakoshi menacing our comrades.

...

Amid the frenzy of the raging carnage, I linked up with Nerissa, Onyx, Gabrielle, and Sithrik, gesturing skyward. Comms stayed linked to command as I declared, "The Drakoshi hold the ramp leading to the upper level! It’s turned into a deadly bottleneck slaughter! We must shatter their line!"

"Sentinel, this is Knight Theolan. Flare launched. Rendezvous with me. My brothers stand prepared to breach that spot or perish in the attempt!"

"Very well, brothers. En route now. Tanks, redirect all firepower briefly to the defenses atop the ramp. Suppression required."

"Copy that, Sentinel. All heavy armor, engage target."

I pivoted toward my companions then.

"You ready?"

Nerissa nodded simply, as did Sithrik. Onyx, though...

"Oh yes, my universe! How fun is this? Let’s go kill the ones causing your little people trouble."

Onyx bolted forward then. Effortlessly beheading a distracted Silver pauldron in her path. No space existed for stray notions like allure right now. Fueled by combat stims, battle consumed my every thought.

We hurried after Onyx’s trail of slaughter and reached the knights’ position. Pages formed tight kill zones. Every zone comprised ten soldiers operating with near-hive precision. Such a zone felled a Drakoshi instantly via focused barrages, while the squires dazzled the eye.

Any single one could handle an unarmored Drakoshi solo. Their armor granted power and agility to match. Most stuck to firearms still, but I glimpsed one swinging a massive claymore, bisecting a Drakoshi clean at the midsection.

This section’s four knights appeared as sharpshooting experts. Yet upon my arrival bearing their blood-smeared Standard, they stowed ranged arms and drew close-combat tools: a two-handed morningstar, a two-handed axe, a sword-and-shield combo, and a greatsword.

The sword-and-shield bearer, voice of the comms earlier, addressed me again. He indicated our next goal.

"My lord. At your order, we take that ramp."