Austronesia People's Empire, Imperial Majahapit, New Guinea, Irian Jaya, Jayapura Papua, Jayapura Mining Station, Dungeon Operations Command
1st Year of the New Age, Thursday, 2nd Week, 3rd Month Of Abraham.
Moments Earlier...
[Goddamn it, Dungeon Ops, people are dying here!]
"Apache Two, this is Dungeon Ops, stand by," The radio operator replied as she turned and looked at Odysseus, who was standing there watching the video streams from the soldiers' helmet cams on the display inside the dungeon. "Sir, what do we do?"
Penelope gently poked Odysseus in his side, "Oddy? Are you okay?" she asked him after noticing his silence as he stood there frozen before the displays and not replying to the operator's questions.
"Ahh, I'm trying to recall what that creature is," Odysseus sighed.
"Oddy, you need to hurry," Penelope stared at him seriously. "I'm not trying to pressure you, but people are dying out there."
"Yes, I know," Odysseus muttered, rubbing his forehead. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he snapped his fingers. "It must be a Silver Land Dragon!" He pointed to the creature's gleaming scales on the screen. "Those silver scales are the hallmark of a Silver Land Dragon, but they do not grow up to that large! And those crystal formations on its body... I suspect it might be an evolved or mutated species!"
"Great. Now that we know what it is, how do we defeat it?" Penelope patiently asked.
"Hmm... Silver Land Dragons are carnivorous creatures and belong to the metal-earth element class," Odysseus said, closing his eyes as he mentally reviewed his knowledge. "They're vulnerable to lightning attacks, and they're weak against air element spells. Fire and earth won't be as effective."
Penelope nodded sharply and stood over the radio operator. "Patch me through to Sergeant Eurylochus, now!"
————————————————————————
Austronesia Empire, Imperial Majahapit, New Guniea, Irian Jaya, Jayapura Papua, Jayapura Mining Station, Dungeon Level 2, Boss Room
1st Year of the New Age, Thursday, 2nd Week, 3rd Month Of Abraham.
[It's either an evolved or mutated form of a silver Land Dragon, weak to lightning-based attacks or air elemental magic,] Penelope's voice came in through the comms. [It's strong against fire and earth magic, over!]
"Apache Two, copy that!" Eurylochus responded just as he caught sight of one of the rocket teams preparing to fire, and he noticed that the weapon they wielded appeared more advanced than any RPG he had seen.
But he knew what it was.
It was the "Arcane Storm Launcher", or the ASL-1, one of Austronesia's newest magical weapons. This cutting-edge launcher combined traditional rocket propulsion with magical energy harvested from powdered mana stones. This fusion creates a devastatingly powerful weapon capable of unleashing catastrophic destruction, even on Transcendent Tier 1 entities.
The 70mm rockets used in the ASL-1 were constructed with a mithril core, a material with a natural affinity for magic that enhanced the stability and potency of the magical energy stored within the rocket. The rocket's exterior was a composite material designed to withstand the intense forces generated during both launch and impact.
Furthermore, the rocket is propelled by a mix of traditional chemical propellants and a specialized powder derived from mana stones. This mana-infused propellant not only propels the rocket at greater speeds but also envelops it in an aura of magical energy. The combination increases both the range and the destructive power of the rocket.
Upon impact, the mithril-cored rocket detonates with a force magnified by the mana stone powder, unleashing both a physical and magical explosion. This blast could devastate material defenses while the shockwave is laced with magical energy, which can disrupt enchantments and nullify magical wards within its blast radius.
But until now, it was just theory.
"ONE ROUND AWAY!!"
As the soldier squeezed the trigger, the rocket tube that is etched with magical runes, hummed with power as it channeled the stored magic energy.
WHOOSH!
With a thunderous roar, the rocket blasted out of the ASL-1 tube at a blistering speed of 377 meters per second, but the recoil was so insanely powerful it knocked the wielder back several feet.
In mere seconds, the rocket impacted with the dragon-like behemoth square in the chest with a thunderous clap.
BOOOM!
A small black cloud of magical energy formed at the point of impact, and the beast roared in pain and fury.
When the smoke cleared, the soldiers' lights revealed cracks in the beast's chest scales where the rocket had impacted, with blood leaking from the wounds.
For the first time, they had drawn blood of a powerful Magic Beast, especially an Infantry against a Transcendent.
"HOLY SHIT, IT'S BLEEDING! HIT IT AGAIN!!" Eurylochus roared over the gunfire.
The rest of the heavy weapons teams, four in total with one in each section, quickly moved into position and unleashed another volley.
"Protect the rocket teams!" he ordered as he noticed smaller dino-lizards began appearing to edge toward the rocket crews.
The silver behemoth roared in pain again as another couple of rockets slammed into its side, forcing it to crash onto all fours with a ground-shaking impact. Enraged, it lashed out with its massive tail, obliterating a nearby group of soldiers and shattering the pillars around them, sending blood, flesh, and rock fragments flying like bullets, which cut down a couple of soldiers.
Eurylochus ducked just as a severed arm splattered against the pillar he was taking cover behind, andnthe impact further reduced it to a bloody chunk of meat.
"Fuck!! Platoon 3, flank left and distract that piece of shit!" he shouted to the newly arrived soldiers who went for cover. "Everyone else, don't stay in one place! Keep those smaller lizards off the rocket teams! Keep moving and keep your heads down!" He commanded as he ducked out of cover and sprinted toward one of the rocket teams.
Another mithril-core rocket streaked through the air and smashed into the dragon's shoulder, blowing off a chunk of the crystalline armor.
The dragon growled in anger, and whipped around with a speed that defied its massive size. It reared up and opened its jaws wide as it began to suck in the surrounding air, expanding its chest and light motes of visible magical energy started to gather before its open mouth.
"Shit," Eurylochus screamed, "GET THE FUCK OUT OF ITS WAY!"
The men all moved away, diving for cover just as the crystals on the dragon's body was covered in blinding light, turning it almost like a light show.
Not before long, a super-concentrated beam of energy burst out of the dragon's mouth, carving a deep trench in the ground as it blasted through the room. The beam gouged a molten furrow five meters deep into the ground and walls, leaving behind a glowing smoldering tunnel.
"Everyone alright?" Eurylochus shouted as the dust began to slowly settle down.
The sheer power of the dragon's attack had scared off the smaller lizards, leaving only the terrified humans in the room. The dragon panted heavily, and its body appeared shrinking slightly while the glow of its crystals diminished. It glared down with its five green eyes burning with madness and rage at the puny two legs before it.
All of the soldiers managed to dodge the beam attack, though those closest to it weren't so lucky, as they found their exposed skin turning bright red from the heat, as if they'd been scorched by the sun.
The heavy weapons team from Section 4 in Platoon 2, had dropped their mana-infused bazooka in their frantic scramble to avoid the dragon's blast. Now, they were huddled behind a destroyed pillar, catching their breath.
"This is crazy! How in the 13 hells are we supposed to kill that thing?" one of them panted, rolling onto his back.
"Do you see where I dropped the bazooka?" his partner asked as he peeked over the cover.
He watched as the dragon slammed its front limbs and crushed the remains of another pillar, where a couple of soldiers ran out from the smoke and debris, while the unlucky ones didn't make it, as they were crushed under the behemoth's weight.
As the dragon was busy demolishing the cover, another rocket streaked in from the side and exploded against its back.
"There," the soldier pointed, spotting the matte gray tube lying among the debris in the open. "You dropped it over there."
"Cover me," his partner said with determination hardening his voice. "I'm going to run over and get it."
"Damn, you're crazy," the soldier muttered, but he worked his assault rifle in action, and braced his gun over the cover, aiming at the dragon. "GO!"
His partner took off in a sprint, keeping his body as low as possible, hoping that the dragon wouldn't notice him. He skidded to a stop next to the fallen bazooka and grabbed the carrying handle, only to look up and see the dragon turning its attention toward him.
"Ah, fuck!"
The Silver Dragon began to move toward him, but before it could close the distance, a hail of bullets slammed into its face. The dragon roared in annoyance as his partner kept firing.
"Over here, you damn piece of shit!" the soldier screamed, and managed to draw the dragon to his attention.
His heart leaped into his throat as the dragon kicked a massive chunk of stone directly at him, which smashed into his cover and sent debris flying.
His partner cursed and sprinted toward him as the dust began to settle.
"Mino! You okay, buddy?"
A cough sounded from beneath the rubble, and a dust-covered soldier emerged.
"Damn it, I've had enough of all of this fantasy bullshit!" he shouted in annoyance and felt tired from all of this.
Mino was the last survivor from the battle to defend the city against the demons during the New Year's Tragedy. Out of a company of 200 men, only he was alive.
"Come on!" his partner said, grinning in relief as he offered a hand up.
Together, they turned to look towards the dragon, seeing it injured and leaking fluids, as its once-silver scales were now dull and scarred. The beast gave out a roar, and the crystals on its body began to glow ominously again.
Meanwhile, Eurylochus yelled over the voice comms, "Apache Two to Three, request all bazooka loads immediately, over!"
[Three, Roger! Standby five mikes!]
"Two Copies! Out!"
Eurylochus glanced out from his cover, and his heart sank as he saw the dragon starting to glow again.
"Ah fuck this... is this some kind of T-Rex Godzilla?"
————————————————————————
"Load me!" The soldier yelled as he went down on a kneeling stance and propped the bazooka against the top of the cover.
His partner quickly pulled out the mithril-core rocket reload from his backpack and carefully inserted it into the rear of the launcher.
"Ready! I got one more round left!" His partner shouted, slapping the soldier's shoulder before dodging to the side, covering his ears, and opening his mouth to brace for the blast.
The soldier steadied himself as the behemoth drew in energy from its surroundings, and the crystals on its body glowed brighter with each passing second as the dragon's maw began to radiate a fierce light, signaling the impending beam attack.
"Fire! For heaven's sake!" his partner screamed from the side.
"Not yet…" the soldier muttered through gritted teeth, while fixing his eyes on the beast. "Wait for it, wait for it…"
The light motes grew intensity around the dragon's mouth, but just as it was about to unleash its devastating attack, a rocket slammed into its head, causing the dragon to flinch, disrupting its charge, and an eerie whitish glow on its body dimmed, and it turned its fury toward the source of where the attack came from.
It began gathering energy again, and the rocket team scuttled away for cover, but the dragon's gaze seemed intended for them, it tilted its massive head and tracked the two soldiers running from cover to cover. It would have been comical if not for the deadliness of the attack as, where the two rocketers ran to, it followed them, forcing whoever is in the same cover to run away too.
"Fuck," his partner cursed, "Come on! We need a better angle!" He gestured for the soldier to follow him, making him groan in frustration.
Another rocket exploded on the dragon's back, shattering more of the crystal shards, but the beast ignored the hit, as it continued focusing on the running rocketers. The energy within the dragon built to a blinding intensity, and as the two soldiers reached a fallen pillar, the soldier quickly hoisted the bazooka onto his shoulder and took aim on the dragon.
Just as it was about to unleash the blast, the soldier fired. The mithril-core rocket streaked toward the dragon and detonated next to its snout. The explosion caused by the mana-infused black powder inside the warhead created a high-velocity superheated plasma jet of liquid metal that collided against the ball of supercharged magical energy formed in the mouth of the dragon.
KABOOOOOOOOM!!
The violent reaction between the two forces caused the dragon's magical field to collapse, and the energies ran amok, resulting in a massive explosion which obliterated the dragon's upper jaw and half of its skull in a thunderous blast.
The energy shockwave ripped through the battlefield and cracked the ground. The soldiers closest to the blast suffered ruptured eardrums, collapsed lungs, and other internal injuries. Those furthermost away were knocked off their feet, dazed and disoriented by the sheer force of the explosion.
The massive body of the dragon stood swaying lifeless, before toppling over, causing another earth-shaking crash. The battlefield was momentarily silent, but soon cries for medics and groans of pain filled the air as the shellshock effects from the shockwave began to fade.
Eurylochus staggered to his feet, rubbing his eyes and shaking his head to clear the persistent ringing sound in his ears. He leaned against a shattered pillar and stared dumbfounded at the destruction the dragon had caused.
The remaining support sections from Platoon 3 arrived, quickly tending to the wounded and assisting the medics.
"Eurylochus? SERGEANT Eurylochus!" someone yelled nearby, jolting Eurylochus from his daze and turned to see Sergeant Dice standing over him.
"Are you alright, soldier?" Dice asked, checking Eurylochus for injuries.
Eurylochus nodded numbly, then pointed to his ears. "I think they're broken."
Dice quickly unbuckled Eurylochus' helmet and removed it, grimacing at the sight of blood leaking from his ears.
"Goddamn, what happened here?" He muttered, looking around at the scattered men of Platoon 2 and his own support troops from Platoon 3, many of whom were still down on the ground, and he waved over a medic to come over to treat his friend.
"Medic! Over here!"
Leaving Eurylochus in the medic's care, Dice grabbed his radio and urgently called Dungeon Ops for a trauma team to be on standby for mass casualties and calling for more support to be sent in.
Eurylochus felt a hazy smile spread across his face as a tranquilizer shot was jabbed into his arm, and the meds quickly dulled his senses. A trail of blood ran from his nose and mouth as he was laid onto a stretcher, while beginning to drift into unconsciousness.
"Fucking dragons."