After speaking with the king, the Dhuman soldiers stepped outside the damaged castle.
The king and several guards followed, wary and uncertain.
One soldier pulled a small device resembling a phone. Calmly, he spoke:
"Command, prepare equipment transfer. Send one armored unit through the portal."
The king blinked.
"Armored unit?"
John smiled slightly.
"You'll see."
The soldiers instructed everyone to step back and wait in the courtyard. The guards watched closely, suspicion in their eyes.
A small child holding a worn soft toy wandered closer to John.
"You are John, right?" she asked, wide-eyed.
John crouched slightly, surprised.
"Yes… but how do you know my name?"
The girl only smiled mysteriously.
Before he could ask more, a low rumble shook the ground.
A bright portal opened above the courtyard. Through it, a massive armored vehicle descended slowly, landing with a deafening metallic crash. Dust swirled, and a gust of wind knocked loose stones across the courtyard.
The king, guards, and children froze, eyes wide in disbelief.
"What… is that?" the king whispered.
John pointed calmly.
"It's a tank. And it's here to protect you."
The king stepped closer, studying the enormous machine. Children inched forward, drawn by curiosity, but a guard held them back.
"It's dangerous," he warned.
John raised a hand gently.
"It's okay. She can come closer."
The tank hatch hissed open, revealing eleven soldiers inside, ready for action.
The human kingdom had never seen anything like this. The sky above the ruined courtyard seemed almost too small for the scale of the machine.
And this was only the beginning.