Global Awakening: Apocalypse Ender's Chronicle

[ Tessa: The Floating Fortress is coming! I hope you’re all good down there. ]

After reading the message, Shane swiftly looked at the sky…

At first, he saw nothing, just the haze of mortar smoke and the drifting clouds above the battlefield.

But then, the clouds shifted.

A massive silhouette began to emerge from the upper atmosphere, partially obscured by the cloud itself. It was distant, silent, and impossibly high…

[ Shane: Good job. You’re just right in time. I don’t want to waste any more Warden Units. ]

Soon, Cloud also confirmed the presence of the Fortress..

[ Asset Detected ]

[ Floating Fortress – Altitude: 3,200 meters ]

[ Status: Deployment Hatch Opening ]

The Floating Fortress.

It was supposed to be around the Eclipse Domain. It was an unreachable stronghold, hidden above the cloudline and protected by numerous Barriers. No one expected it to appear here so Shane made sure to do this secretly several hours ago.

***

In the meantime, with the command center, Tessa confirmed that the path was ready…

Then, a voice echoed across the comms.

“Sheena Asuka, Valiant Skybreaker, launching…”

Soon, a streak of light burst from the Fortress.

It was descending like a meteor, the VALIANT-01 “Skybreaker” tore through the clouds… It was such a beautiful sight. It was quite a pity that Shane and the others couldn’t see the reaction of Lesley’s team.

Twelve meters tall, humanoid in shape but with various weapon ports, the aerial combat mech soon stabilized with a controlled blast of reverse thrust.

Whom~

Shane couldn’t help but smile after seeing this. He then asked Cloud about its details.

[ Mech Series Registered: VALIANT ]

[ First Unit: VALIANT-01 “Skybreaker” ]

[ Classification: Aerial Combat Frame – 12m Class ]

[ Status: Prototype – Flight Capability Confirmed ]

[ Pilot: Sheena Asuka ]

Sheena didn’t hesitate.

The Skybreaker’s targeting array locked onto the incoming horde of hundreds of zombies still surging toward the shelter. These zombies were still drawn by the lingering lures.

[ Engagement Mode: Aerial Sweep ]

[ Weapon Systems: Online ]

Soon, twin autocannons rotated into position. They were just newly installed…

BRRRRRRT!

The first volley shredded the front line. Just like that, Acid Spitters exploded while running… Jumper Zombies were torn apart before they reached the perimeter, and all other Zombies around were shredded…

The Skybreaker didn’t land. It hovered in the sky, strafing sideways with thruster bursts, unleashing a barrage of plasma darts and bullets…

Unfortunately, the Mech doesn’t have unlimited bullets…

So it swiftly changed its ammunition and started shooting concentrated energy beams like a blade optimized for crowd suppression!

Whom~

A wave of blue-white energy was released outward, slicing through the horde of Zombies like a blade.

Boom!

The ground cracked beneath the impact as smoke and dust erupted. The remaining had then zombies scattered, disoriented and broken.

Shane watched from the wall and he couldn’t help but feel impressed.

“She’s clearing the entire wave…” he muttered.

Minerva adjusted her scope as she observed the first flying mech they had. It was a terrifying machine and she hoped that no other Clan could possess something like this…

Elsa and Lily also stopped dealing with the Zombies as they watched the spectacle unfold.

The Skybreaker didn’t slow down.

Sheena fired a final burst into the last cluster of zombies approaching from the hill…

Then, Cloud reported…

[ Undead Threat Level: Neutralized ]

[ Remaining Hostiles: 0 ]

[ Skybreaker Status: Stable | Altitude: 100m ]

Then, Sheena’s voice returned to the comms.

“Perimeter cleared. Awaiting further orders.”

The Floating Fortress remained above and was slowly descending, so Sheena could return easily without using too much of its energy…

***

In the meantime, in the western hill close to the Silver Mine Camp, the place remained quiet.

Under Kara’s Super Stealth field, the group lay low…

The three commanders even entered a small tent that masked their presence from sensors, drones, and even Spirit-based detection.

The zombie wave had done its job, most of the defenders were pulled toward the eastern wall, and the Mk.V turrets had entered cooldown cycles.

Everything was going according to plan, until the sky changed..

Lesley was the first to notice it. Her eyes squinted as the clouds shifted unnaturally, revealing a massive silhouette high above the battlefield.

“…That’s not a drone… or a Flying Zombie…” she whispered.

Orlando was also shocked. “No way. That’s… That’s the one he bought at the Auction.”

Then the scouts reported the situation…

About the flying Mech Frame that came out of the Fortress!

A streak of light burst from the clouds as the mech descended like a meteor…

“What the heck?” Kara muttered. “They have that?”

“That’s cheating,” Orlando said flatly. “Is that sold in the Auction?”

“No, I don’t think it’s part of the event…” Lesley replied. “It must be their own tech. Maybe they have a Legendary Mechanic or something. Or maybe Vale must’ve found incredible blueprints… or made a deal.”

The Skybreaker opened fire with autocannons, shredding the front line…

Lesley watched in silence as she clenched her first…

“This wasn’t part of the plan… We were supposed to breach during the third wave. The lures were calibrated for a two-hour window.”

Kara felt helpless as well. “We still have one batch of Special Zombie lures left. I can deploy it manually.”

Orlando shook his head. “Deploying now would be a waste. That thing’s clearing the field faster than the Mk.Vs ever could.”

Lesley exhaled. “We underestimated them. Again.”

Kara glanced at her. “You want to retreat?”

“No,” Lesley said. “But we need to do something… If we use the last lure, it will attract a Zombie Lord and it could endanger us too…”

Orlando checked his last Golem Cores… “I’ve got one Stone Golem that can carry that special lure and two Elemental-Class Golems left. Those two had no lures inside, but I can rig them with Spirit Bombs. If we detonate near the eastern wall, it might draw attention.”

Lesley sighed as she felt that this mission would be doomed. She didn’t expect the Floating Fortress to come here as well.

Nonetheless, since it was impossible to obtain the mining site, they might as well destroy it.