THIS CHAPTER IS FOR MIZKUZ, THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT.
Atop the mountain, near a small cave overlooking the narrow pass, the kingdom's elite soldiers performed their final equipment checks. Below them, several miles away, columns of smoke rose into the sky as the Shadow Carja force advanced, escorted by their Corruptors.
Inside the command room of my palace, I watched the final preparations through the Focus network. Every member of the elite unit, my Royal Guard wore a Focus device, allowing us to monitor the battlefield from multiple angles. The holographic display updated constantly, tracking enemy positions, troop movements, and machine signatures.
"We move in five minutes. Final checks, everyone," Commander Shepard ordered as he secured his modified Stormslinger across his back.
He turned toward the marksmen positioned along the ridge.
"Sniper teams, your priority is the Corruptors. I don't need you to destroy them immediately, just pin them down and keep them occupied for a few seconds. That's all the assault teams need."
His gaze shifted to the rest of the Royal Guard.
"The moment the machines are distracted, throw every explosive grenade into the Shadow Carja ranks. Hit them before they even know we're here."
A grim smile spread across his face.
"This isn't going to be a battle. It's going to be a massacre. We have superior numbers, superior equipment, and the advantage of surprise. The outcome is already decided."
His expression hardened.
"The only thing that matters is stopping those machines before they can organize a counterattack."
The soldiers answered with silent nods as they finished their preparations. In less than five minutes, the mountain pass would become a killing ground.
Commander Shepard slowly raised his clenched fist.
Every soldier remained perfectly still. The only sounds were the wind sweeping across the mountain and the distant metallic footsteps of the Corruptors as they entered the narrow pass, below the Shadow Carja marched in loose formation, completely unaware that hundreds of eyes were watching them from the cliffs above.
Shepard waited.
"Not yet..."
The first Corruptor reached the center of the pass and the second followed only a few dozen meters behind exactly where we wanted them.
Shepard smiled.
"Now."
A dozen stromslingers cracked almost simultaneously, overwhelming the machines.
The rounds struck exposed joints, sensors, and cooling vents on both Corruptors. Sparks erupted from their armored bodies as warning alarms echoed through the canyon. Neither machine was destroyed, but both staggered as their processors attempted to identify the source of the attack.
Those few seconds were all the Royal Guard needed.
"Explosives! Go!"
Hundreds of grenades rained from the cliffs.
The Shadow Carja looked up just as the first detonations ripped through their formation.
The narrow mountain pass became an inferno.
Explosions rolled across the rocks one after another, throwing soldiers from their feet. Spears, shields, and bows disappeared beneath clouds of dust and shattered stone. Corrupted machines panicked, crashing into fleeing warriors and adding to the chaos.
The Corruptors tried to regain control, but the sniper teams never gave them the opportunity. Every time one attempted to stand or scan the cliffs, another volley struck its sensors and leg joints, forcing it back into defensive routines.
"Keep the pressure on," Shepard replied calmly.
Blue arcs of electricity burst across the canyon floor, stunning both machines while fragments tore through the surviving Shadow Carja soldiers. Those who had escaped the first barrage found themselves trapped between collapsing rocks, burning debris, and relentless explosions.
Panic spread through the enemy ranks.
"They're above us!"
"It's a trap!"
"Take cover!"
"There is no cover," another soldier shouted in terror.
From the command room, every Focus feed showed the same scene: complete disorder.
"What are their casualties?" I asked.
CYAN voice answered almost instantly.
"Estimated enemy losses: sixty-three percent."
The number continued climbing with every passing second.
Shepard watched through his Focus, waiting for the perfect moment.
"Royal Guard, advance."
Dozens of grappling lines shot down the cliffs as the elite soldiers descended with practiced precision. The surviving Shadow Carja barely had time to raise their weapons. The Royal Guard hit them like a hammer.
Spears pierced armor. Precision rifle fire eliminated officers before they could issue a single command. Within minutes, organized resistance collapsed.
The Corruptor´s finally managed to stand, its corrupted core glowing an angry crimson. It let out a mechanical roar and charged toward the nearest Royal Guardsman.
It never reached him.
Three Stormslingers divisions unleashed concentrated bolts of electricity, locking the machine's in place.
"Finish it!"
A heavy explosive slammed into the Corruptor's exposed cores, the machine exploded in a blinding flash, fragments of blackened metal scattering across the pass.
Broken weapons, burning machines, and fallen Shadow Carja soldiers covered the battlefield. Commander Shepard surveyed the destruction before speaking over the Focus network.
"Objective complete."
"No casualties."
"Begin collecting weapons, salvage every usable machine component, and take any survivors prisoner for interrogation."
Back in the palace's command room, I allowed myself a small smile.
The first battle against HADES had ended exactly as planned.
The victory in the mountain pass was celebrated for less than an hour. Then the reports began arriving one after another and every one of them carried the same conclusion.
I looked toward Sylens, who was already studying the battle recordings.
"They sacrificed over a hundred soldiers," Reya said. "No commander would willingly throw away that many troops, not even HADES, unless..."
"Unless," Sylens replied quietly, "they were never meant to win."
A new Focus transmission appeared, one of our scouts had discovered fresh tracks several kilometers east of the pass, hundreds.
They had bypassed the ambush entirely.
"They knew," I whispered.
Sylens nodded.
"HADES warned them."
The realization hit everyone at once, the army we had destroyed had been nothing more than a diversion the real strike force had never intended to pass through the mountain.
Instead, it had slipped through forgotten hunting trails while our attention was fixed elsewhere.
Far to the south, another battle had already begun.