AN: Now, now~ Here is the last update for this week!
The start of the war VS the RDA!
I actually wanted to write more about the fights, but... I can't think of how they can fight back.
So in the end, it only became like this.
I hope you guys will like this chapter~
Enjoy!
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Pandora, Star Rail Universe…
The command center of Bridgehead City was in chaos. Alarms were roaring from every corner as reports poured in from all stations.
General Frances Ardmore stood frozen for a second, still trying to process it. In just a few minutes, their heavily fortified base had been breached—easily. Even Charles Stringer, standing beside her, hadn't fully recovered from what they had just witnessed.
"Perimeter Wall Section C has collapsed! Structural integrity down to thirty percent—no, lower!"
"Multiple breaches confirmed! Enemy forces are inside the base!"
"The auto-defense systems are failing to track targets! Targeting systems are desyncing!"
"Infantry squadron Alpha requesting immediate support! Enemies were overrunning them!"
"AMP units are down! Repeat—AMP units are going down one after another!"
"Get me visual feeds! I want eyes on everything!" Ardmore snapped, forcing herself to move.
Screens lit up one after another, filling the room with live feeds of the battlefield—each one worse than the last.
Na'vi forces poured through the spatial rifts, their war cries spreading across the battlefield as they marched forward without hesitation.
AMP suits tried to regroup, but the formation broke almost immediately. Some collapsed mid-step, others were torn apart before they could even raise their weapons.
RDA Infantry fired wildly, trying to push the Resistance back, but the pressure kept building. They were being overwhelmed.
Explosions could be heard all over the base. Areas that had been secure seconds ago were now burning wreckage.
Jake Sully fought at the front alongside Neytiri and the Na'vi warriors, holding the line as they pushed forward step by step.
"Keep moving! Don't stop!" Jake shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos.
March 7th, fired arrow after arrow, freezing turrets in place while throwing up shields over the advancing Na'vi.
"You're good! I've got you covered!"
Caelus moved through the battlefield, weaving between enemies, his bat swing again and again, sending the RDA troops crashing back.
"Out of the way!"
Dan Heng was right beside him, his spear—the Cloud-Piercer, sweeping the battlefield. The AMP units and Infantry couldn't track his quick movements, much less stop him.
"Don't let your guard down. This is far from over," he glanced at Caelus
In another area, Sirin raised her hand and sent a storm of Archon spears down on tanks and AMP units, pinning them in place.
"If you don't want to die… stand down."
And on another screen, Noah moved through the fire, his lightsaber Lux swinging as it deflected bullets while he crushed the armored vehicles with the Force. He moved between enemies without stopping, his blade connecting from one to another.
"Not bad… but you have to do more than that to be able to hit me."
In the sky above, Hayate and Reinforce are flying together with the Ikran riders, targeting the mobile turrets and Gunships.
"Rein, are you ready? Let's clear a path for our friends on the ground!"
"Yes, Hayate-chan! Leave the targeting assistance to me."
"…What the hell are we dealing with?" Charles muttered, barely above a whisper.
Then, as if things weren't already bad enough, they received a communication from the Interstellar Vehicle (ISV) Venture Star.
[ISV Venture Star to Command Center, we are getting visuals of an unidentified vehicle approaching Pandora's zone! This… what?!]
"What happened?! What did you see?!" Ardmore snapped, forcing herself back into control.
[I-it's… It's not a starship or anything we expected… it's… a train.]
"…What?" Ardmore muttered, confusion clear in her voice.
"Captain Stuart, repeat that," Charles said, leaning forward slightly.
[It's a train!!!] The captain repeated. [The thing coming at us—it's not a ship… It's a freaking train!]
As if to prove his point, the captain sent the visual feed to the command center for everyone to see. And just as he said, the object approaching them was a train—similar in form to those used on Earth, yet far beyond anything they had seen.
It was a majestic locomotive that blended a retro-industrial aesthetic with sleek, futuristic technology, its silhouette shaped like a massive revolver.
Its metallic exterior carried a regal palette of deep crimson, gold, and white. At its front was an engine resembling a rotating gun cylinder, topped with an iron-sight-like structure. Despite its classic train-like appearance, the vessel was lined with glowing blue energy and advanced thrusters that allowed it to move freely across the cosmos.
The people in the command center were all stunned at its appearance. No one had expected this. In their minds, they had been preparing for large warships, Star Destroyers, even entire fleets, just like in the movies.
But what they got was… a train. A literal train.
"…The Astral Express, huh," Charles muttered, a faint, helpless smile forming on his lips. "No wonder they call themselves that."
"…Are you kidding me?!" Ardmore glared at the screen, slamming her hand onto the console. "Is this some kind of joke to you?! Are you telling me we're not even worth facing properly?!"
Her anger spread through the room, but no one blamed her. To them, it felt like an insult. As if the RDA… as if Earth itself… wasn't even worth acknowledging.
The officers gritted their teeth, some clenching their fists, others staring at the display with hard expressions.
"Command to all ISV ships in orbit," Ardmore said, her voice turning cold. "Bring that train down. Destroy it. Let them understand the consequences of underestimating us."
[Yes, General!]
ISV Venture Star and the fourteen other ships locked their weapon systems onto the Astral Express. The massive vessels adjusted their positions, engines powering up as they aligned with the incoming target.
"Target locked."
"Firing solutions calculated."
"Energy output stabilizing."
"Missile bays opening."
Panels along their hulls slid open, revealing rows of weapon systems.
"Laser arrays—charged."
"Nuclear payloads—armed."
With all weapons ready, the captains of each ship gave the order at the same time.
"…Fire."
Without hesitation, they unleashed everything at the Express. Beams of concentrated energy flew forward at light speed, then hundreds of missiles followed, racing through space as they closed in on the Astral Express.
But instead of witnessing the Express explode into pieces… something incredible happened.
Space distorted and then collapsed inward. In the next second, a black hole formed between the Express and the incoming barrage. The beams bent, dragged, stretched, and pulled apart as their paths broke under the strong gravitational force. Missiles that had been flying straight lost all control, their trajectories warping as if the very idea of direction had been taken from them.
One after another, the attacks vanished, swallowed whole, crushed into nothing before they could even reach their target. Not a single shot made it through.
"…Impossible…" one of the officers whispered.
"... this strong gravitational pull… There is no doubt," another officer explained, "...It's a Black Hole."
And as if answering to their futile assault, something materialized above the Express.
A massive high-tech satellite came into view, giving off a domineering presence. Its design mirrored the clockwork-industrial style of the Express, but it was far more refined, far more advanced. A large circular core could be seen at its center, surrounded by rotating metallic rings and gold-trimmed fins that moved in smooth, almost living patterns.
Plates slid open in perfect sequence, the mechanisms aligned without a single error. The central lens was pulsing with deep orange-red light, growing brighter with every passing second.
"W-we are detecting a concentrated energy build-up from the unknown construct."
"Output levels are rising rapidly—far beyond our weapons capabilities!"
"Estimates exceed maximum safe limits… we don't have a comparable scale!"
The light intensified, rising without a hint of strain or instability. It grew brighter, stronger, as if the output meant nothing to it.
"Ahahaha... it's not that they underestimated us," the Captain of ISV Venture Star muttered with a helpless laugh. "We just overestimated ourselves..."
The lens narrowed, focusing toward the RDA ships, and then… it fired.
A beam of blazing energy flew straight towards them like judgment itself, moving through space onto the RDA ships.
"Brace for impact!!!!"
The ISVs pushed their engines to the limit as they tried to evade. The beam didn't hit any of them directly, but… they weren't particularly safe either.
"O-our control systems are destabilizing!"
"The navigation systems are unresponsive! We're losing alignment!"
"Weapons systems are offline! We've lost our offensive capability!"
"Power fluctuations across all decks—systems are failing one after another!"
"Thrusters are not responding—we cannot maintain position!"
The reports kept coming, piling on top of each other, each one worse than the last.
In the command center, the officers watching the feed turned pale. Their bodies felt heavy, as if the strength was leaving them all at once. The fear that crept in wasn't loud…it was silently sinking deeper with every passing second.
They understood it now. They were never on the same level.
"…Oh god," Ardmore muttered as she dropped back into her seat. The strength left her body as she stared at the screen. The anger and arrogance she held moments ago were gone.
What remained was helplessness… and she wasn't the only one who felt it.
—-------
On the chaotic battlefield in Bridgehead City, after the surprise attack by the Astral Express and the Resistance army, some of the Sec-Ops commanders finally shook off their stunned state and began issuing orders, trying to regain control.
Infantry quickly reformed their lines, while AMP suits moved to the front, forming a wall of defense. Turrets and cannons roared back to life, firing relentlessly at the advancing enemies. Gunships lifted into the air, unleashing missiles and raining bullets down onto the battlefield.
Noah narrowed his eyes as he looked up at the gunships above. His lightsaber moved in a smooth motion, slicing the arms and legs of an incoming AMP unit. At the same time, he stretched out his hand, using the Force to drag a gunship out of the sky and slam it into the ground.
"Hmm…"
He let out a low hum. He and the Crew could take down the gunships… but there were just too many gunships for them to handle at once… well, maybe not really an issue, but still…
The Na'vi riders on their Ikran pushed forward, attacking the gunships, but the cost was too high. For every gunship that fell, dozens of Na'vi lives were traded in return.
Noah's eyes went to the turrets as they came back online, firing once more at the Na'vi below. He winced as he watched them fall, one after another. He could feel the grief coming from the world itself… Eywa mourns the lives being lost.
Noah clenched his jaw, then sighed. 'Looks like I have to take this a bit seriously.'
Just when he was about to take more drastic action, someone else moved first.
[Noah-kun, everyone, buy me some time... I'll end this in a single shot.]
Up in the sky, a giant Belkan magic circle formed. At its center, Hayate and Reinforce Zwei entered Unison state. Hayate's brown hair turned blonde, and her eyes changed as well to match Reinforce's turquoise eyes.
[We can destroy all enemies within the visual range using Ouroboros!] Reinforce said, scanning the entire battlefield.
[90 seconds until activation! In the meantime, please make sure Hayate-chan won't be interrupted!]
"Roger!"
The crew and those in the Resistance units on comms answered together.
Hayate raised Schwertkreuz, and six massive spheres of mana condensed above her as her spell began charging. Noah, Caelus, Sirin, Dan Heng, and March 7th exchanged a glance, understanding each other without a word, and nodded.
Sirin vanished in a blink, reappearing in the sky just below Hayate. Around them, a flock of Ikran riders circled tightly, forming a protective line.
However, the sheer size of the mana spheres made them impossible to miss. Anyone on the battlefield could see it.
"High energy concentration above Bridgehead!" a comms officer reported.
"Whatever that is, stop it at all costs!" Ardmore ordered. This time, she wasn't taking any chances.
Responding to that order, gunships, mobile turrets, and cannons all redirected toward Hayate's position. They opened fire without holding back. Thousands of missiles and high-caliber rounds tore through the air at sonic speeds.
The Na'vi urged their Ikrans forward, ready to throw themselves in front of the attack to protect Sirin and Hayate—but Sirin was already on the move. She flew ahead of them, taking the front without hesitation.
"…Leave that to me," she said, not even looking back.
The missiles and bullets reflected in her golden eyes, yet her expression remained serene, almost indifferent.
She stretched her arm… and snapped her fingers.
Hundreds of spatial rifts opened along the paths of the incoming fire, swallowing the rounds one after another.
When the last of the barrage disappeared together with the spatial rifts, a single pulsing rift remained above her palm. Inside it were everything that had been fired.
"…Hmmp," Sirin let out a snort as she glanced at it.
Then, without any hesitation, she closed her hand.
The rift collapsed.
Everything inside it was crushed out of existence.
"…Damn it!!!" Ardmore slammed her fist onto the console as the command center fell into cold silence.
"Tell the naval ships to open fire! Don't hold back anymore! We have to stop that attack no matter what!"
"Y-yes, ma'am!" one of the officers replied, quickly relaying the order to the fleet waiting at sea.
—-------
At sea, the fleet responded to the order.
Massive warships cut through the water as they adjusted formation. Decks opened up one after another, panels sliding to reveal rows of heavy artillery and missile launchers. Turrents rotated and locked onto the sky at Hayate's location.
"Fire control online."
"Target locked."
"All batteries ready."
The commander gave a short nod. "…Open fire."
Cannons thundered in unison, recoil shuddering through entire hulls as shells were launched skyward. Missile bays ignited, streaks of light tearing into the clouds as volleys followed one after another, filling the air with a relentless barrage.
Rounds tore through the sky, converging on their target in overwhelming numbers, trailing smoke and flame as they climbed higher and higher.
But the attack didn't get far.
A massive serpent dragon of water rose from the sea and swallowed the rounds whole.
"What is that?!"
"A dragon?! A dragon made of water?!"
"D-did it eat those rounds?!"
"Just what the hell are we fighting?!"
There, not far from the fleet, Dan Heng came out from a spatial rift and stood above the sea in his Imbibitor Lunae form.
"Awaken, dormant scales," Dan Heng muttered as the water serpent dragon coiled around him, the Orb of Abysm releasing a pulse of destructive imaginary energy.
The commander of the fleet shuddered at the sheer pressure coming from Dan Heng.
"Rotate the artillery! Point the guns at that man! Stop him!"
Turrets turned violently, metal grinding as cannons faced toward Dan Heng. Targeting systems locked in, and without hesitation, they fired. The Shells tore through the air. Missiles followed close behind, streaking low across the sea's surface.
But before they could reach him… A wall of March's six-phase ice came between and blocked the attacks head-on.
"Let me show you what this lady can do," March said with a wide grin as she stepped out of a spatial rift that Sirin opened.
With a flick of her wrist, the sea began to freeze. Her six-phase ice spread across the surface, racing outward until it reached the fleet, locking the waters solid beneath them.
"Got you—no running now," she added with a bright grin, glancing back at the Na'vi. "You're all safe to go!"
More spatial rifts opened, making way for the Na'vi warriors. With the sea frozen, they now had solid ground to stand on.
Dan Heng didn't move. Not even a step. He simply watched as the Resistance army poured forward.
A war cry erupted across the ocean as they charged forward; their voices gave a fear of god to the RDA forces. Riding their mounts at incredible speed, they ran between the ships as warriors leapt from their backs and boarded the vessels.
"For our home!" one of the Na'vi roared.
"Hold the deck! Don't let them spread!" an RDA officer shouted back.
Na'vi warriors climbed onto the ships from every direction, overwhelming the outer defenses before the crews could even regain their footing.
"Left flank—watch the rail!"
"Cut them off! Don't let them regroup!"
Gunfire rang out across the decks as close-quarters combat broke out, and the Na'vi warriors bravely fought even under the constant rain of bullets.
"Shields up! Keep firing!"
"Push through! Don't give them space!"
"Boarding parties on deck!"
"Repel them! Hold the line!"
"We're being overrun—!"
Ships rocked violently as the battle escalated, the once-organized fleet thrown into complete disarray.
Dan Heng's eyes narrowed as he guided the Orb of Abysm before him. "Delve-hidden moon, world-cleansing dragon."
At his words, the massive water serpent dragon went downward, crashing into the ships and erupting into an explosion of water and lotus petals.
The Na'vi let out a cry of victory as Dan Heng's attack tore through the fleet's formation, breaking it apart completely.
———-
[Enemy reinforcements have been neutralized. Sirin-san and the Na'vi have intercepted the gunships, while Dan Heng-san and March-chan are keeping the navy occupied.] Reinforce reported.
"Mhmm, thank you, Rein," Hayate nodded. "Preparation to fire Ouroboros is complete!"
[Ballistic Guidance activated… Marking Vital Points for the shot… complete. Countdown until Ouroboros discharges.] Reinforce said.
[5… 4…]
"G-General! We are detecting a pulse of energy from above! Whatever that attack is—it's fully charged!" one of the officers reported.
Ardmore's expression darkened as she clenched her fist until it turned pale. "…How much time do we need to fire the railgun?"
"It's already at eighty percent, ma'am—but we can fire it!" the officer replied.
"This is our last bet. Aim at that girl and fire," Ardmore ordered.
"Yes, General!!"
The railgun locked onto Hayate without any delay. Electromagnetic coils wrapped around the barrel, and in less than a second, the projectile was launched at lightning speed, cutting through any interference or resistance.
The shot slipped past the Na'vi defensive formation due to its speed. Sirin, who was about to act, was suddenly blocked by a gunship assault.
"You—!!!" Sirin's eyes flared as she sent dozens of Archon spears toward the gunship with a sharp wave of her hand.
But that brief opening was enough for the RDA. The projectile was already closing in on Hayate.
"No—! Hachan!!"
But Hayate didn't panic.
[3… 2…]
"Sorry, but… there's no way I'm letting that touch my Hachan."
Before the projectile could close the distance—
Noah appeared between her and the projectile; he sent himself into the sky with the Force. Star-like lights gathered around him as he poured prana into his lightsaber lux.
"Meteor Arts: Purple Lightning."
The moment he spoke, violet lightning wrapped over his body and his blade. Next, he thrust forward at blinding speed.
The projectile shattered on impact, breaking apart before it could reach Hayate. Using the momentum of his attack, Noah let himself drop back to the ground.
"…It's all yours now, Hachan," he muttered.
"Thank you, Noah-kun," Hayate whispered.
She aimed Schwertkreuz down, pointing toward Bridgehead City below.
[1… 0.]
The moment the countdown reached zero, the six massive mana spheres expanded and pulsed, nearly blinding everyone, before countless light arrows burst from them and rained down across the area.
They struck every corner of the city—important facilities, defensive weaponry, tanks, armored vehicles, gunships, AMP units, communication arrays, and radar stations.
One after another, every vital point… gone.
Once Hayate's attack ended… Bridgehead City was left stripped bare. Their energy reactors are offline, cutting power in the city. Automated weaponry was destroyed, leaving them without anything to defend themselves.
Noah, after saving Hayate, landed lightly on the ground as the entire battlefield fell silent. Neither the Na'vi nor the RDA Sec-Ops moved. They remained standing.
He raised his lightsaber lux, pointing it toward what remained of the city.
"Surrender or Continue… the choice is yours."
Noah didn't shout or use any magic to carry his voice, yet he was heard across every corner of the battlefield.
Charles Stringer let out a defeated sigh as he dropped into his seat.
"We… lost."
He clenched his jaw, gritting his teeth before forcing the words out.
"…Give the signal of surrender, General."
Ardmore's hand tightened into a fist—then slowly loosened.
"…Release the signal flares. Color white."
White—the universal signal of surrender.
"…Yes, General."
One of the officers relayed the order. Seconds later, three white flares shot up into the sky.
The moment the RDA troops saw them, weapons dropped to the ground. Hands rose in surrender.
Noah watched in silence, then turned off Lux and returned it to his waist.
A second passed. Then another.
The tension finally broke.
A cry of victory rose from the Resistance.
They had won. Despite the overwhelming odds… they had won.
The battle for Pandora was over.
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