Beneath a desolate hill ten kilometers away from Hassenstadt, an army waited in silence.
The resistance had gathered. All of them wore heavy body armor, protective gear scavenged or donated, mismatched but functional. They huddled motionless on withered yellow grass, frost crunching under their weight.
Each fighter had closed their eyes slightly, entering states of rest to recharge their batteries. Conserving energy. Preparing mentally. The wait before battle stretched time elastic, seconds becoming minutes becoming hours.
At the same time, scattered among the ranks, a different group stood vigilant. They wore military green carapace armor, proper Imperial equipment that gleamed dully in the weak sunlight. Middle-aged and elderly resistance soldiers carried Terra I lasguns with the careful reverence of those who understood their weapons' worth.
These veterans maintained very alert fighting states. Eyes scanning horizons. Fingers near triggers. They would not be caught unprepared.
Soon after, the sound of heavy footsteps came trampling across soil, growing louder with approach.
Nolan appeared, wearing his black power armor. The ceramite caught light like polished obsidian, each plate edge-sharp with purpose. He led the Stormtrooper team, five warriors moving in perfect formation behind him.
And right at the very back of the Stormtrooper formation, another figure followed.
He wore silver power armor, the metal gleaming bright even under overcast skies. The ceramite steel shell's surface was covered by a dark green cloak that swirled with movement, fabric whipping in the wind.
This was Doom. The leader of the resistance who had successfully built his own power armor.
The skeleton and shell had just been cast using witchcraft, magic woven into metal at the molecular level. Combined with electronic muscle bundles and power backpacks delivered by David, supplemented by components of the Ark Reactor, the result was something unique. Technology married to sorcery. Imperial engineering blessed by supernatural forces.
In fact, it was fortunate that Nolan had no hidden intentions, that he'd shared knowledge openly.
Otherwise, just the research and scientific analysis required to understand electro-fiber bundles and power backpacks would have taken Doom considerably longer. Reverse engineering Imperial technology without guidance was nearly impossible.
Doom was indeed a super genius among humans, intellect that appeared once in generations.
But even he needed a learning process and continuous experimentation to implement everything. Theory required practice. Understanding demanded application.
At this moment, Doom, wearing his metal helmet with eyepieces glowing faintly green, glanced at the resting resistance members through his visor.
He stepped closer to Nolan's position, coming up behind the commander. His voice emerged through the communication device as a whisper meant only for Nolan's ears.
"Nolan, when will we launch the final attack? According to the news from inside Hassenstadt City, Leviathan's Zodiac has arrived there and slaughtered most of the direct descendants of the Fortunov family..."
He paused, choosing words carefully. "These guys don't look like normal people at all, and I'm afraid that the longer we wait, the greater the consequences will be."
The concern was valid. Delay favored enemies who grew more desperate and unpredictable.
Hearing Doom's question, Nolan responded without turning. His voice filtered through his helmet's speakers, calm and measured.
"Doom, please be patient. If it wasn't to launch an attack, why would I ask you to recruit the rebels?"
He continued, laying out reasoning. "Seven enhanced, and we don't know what abilities they have yet. We must be more cautious in our actions."
Nolan's helmet turned slightly, eyepieces catching Doom in peripheral vision. "You will lead the rebels to occupy important facilities in Hassenstadt, disrupt the structure of the opponent's army, and eliminate their commanders."
The tactical division was clear. "The Stormtrooper team and I are responsible for beheading those enhanced. However, in order to prevent unexpected situations, I have sent hundreds of automatic drones and automatic servo robots equipped with heavy firepower to positions outside Hassenstadt City."
His tone carried absolute confidence. "If the whole battle does not go smoothly, then my intelligent control army will force entry. At that time, you can support us according to the situation. I hope your witchcraft can play a greater role."
As soon as Nolan finished speaking, Doom responded with action.
He shook his metal helmet slightly, acknowledgment without words. Then he drove his silver power armor forward, servos humming as ceramite legs carried him toward his waiting army.
Following Doom's movements, the rebels who had closed their eyes to rest immediately opened them. Every pair of eyes tracked his approach.
They climbed up from the cold ground, frost cracking under their movements. Their expressions were determined, fear buried beneath resolve. Eyes focused on Doom's tall body, the silver armor marking him as leader and symbol both.
At this moment, Doom looked through his helmet's eyepiece, enhanced vision resolving individual faces in the crowd.
He stared at the resistance elite, numbering close to a thousand people. Farmers. Merchants. Teachers. All transformed into soldiers by necessity and hatred. He remained silent for a long moment, gathering words.
Then he slowly raised a metal arm. His palm clenched into a fist, the gesture rising above his head where all could see.
Doom took a deep breath, chest expanding in the silver armor. His voice boomed through external speakers, carrying across the assembled force.
"Today is a good day for us to liberate Latveria!"
The declaration rang out, clear and powerful.
"Today is also the first day that we end the Fortunov family's reign of terror!"
He paused, letting that sink in. Then honesty, brutal and necessary.
"I can't guarantee that each of you will survive to the end of this war, but I believe that you are not only fighting for yourself. You are fighting for those relatives and friends who have passed away, but also for your future family and children!"
His fist pumped once, emphatic. "From now on, we must work together to create a stronger and more prosperous Latveria!"
Doom's voice rose to a roar, commanding and inspiring in equal measure.
"Come on! My brothers and sisters! For the better future we hope for, let us launch the last and most difficult liberation war against Hassenstadt City!"
At this moment, Doom's words triggered enthusiastic response from countless rebels.
They all raised the weapons in their palms. Lasguns. Rifles. Pistols. Whatever they carried, lifted high.
With blood boiling in their veins, hearts pounding with adrenaline and purpose, they let out deafening roars at Doom standing before them!
"Liberate Hassenstadt! Long live the Resistance!"
"Liberate Hassenstadt! Long live Doom!"
"Liberate Hassenstadt! Long live the Primarchs !"
The chant built momentum, voices overlapping and reinforcing until the sound carried across kilometers. A battle cry. A promise. A threat.
Rockets with smoke trails streaked quickly through the air, white contrails marking their paths against grey sky.
They struck the outer wall of Hassenstadt City hard, impacts creating flowers of fire and debris. Explosions splashed flames across ancient stone. Countless pieces of rubble scattered outward.
The defensive positions on the wall died in fire. Enemy firepower successfully eliminated before it could respond.
Hassenstadt was the oldest capital city of Latveria, construction dating back centuries. The outer city wall alone stood about twenty meters high, imposing barrier that had never fallen to assault. The thickness of that wall reached three meters, solid stone reinforced with later concrete.
Whether in ancient or modern warfare, for any resistance team attacking through ground approach, this represented a war fortress that might not be successfully breached despite countless heavy casualties.
Cities like this broke armies. Devoured attackers. Left fields littered with dead.
However, at this time, in the middle of the battlefield where countless firepower trajectories crossed each other in deadly webs, something unprecedented occurred.
Doom, wearing his silver power armor, rose from the ground.
He used invisible powerful telekinesis to levitate, body lifting into air without visible support. Rising. Ascending. Positioning himself for maximum effect.
His hands moved with practiced precision, drawing out a series of magic arrays that were difficult to distinguish with the naked eye. Geometric patterns formed from pure will, glowing sigils that bent reality around their structures.
Then he released the strongest magic that he could control, directing it forward without hesitation!
Power flooded outward. Witchcraft amplified by rage and purpose. The spell was massive, draining, potentially lethal to cast.
Boom boom boom!
The sound was apocalyptic. Like earthquakes given voice. The ground shook violently, tremors radiating outward from the point of impact.
The closed entrance of Hassenstadt City, dozens of meters of reinforced wall and gate, simply collapsed. Not damaged. Not cracked. Completely destroyed.
Most of the surrounding city walls followed, stone and mortar losing all structural integrity. They fell inward and outward simultaneously, forming a terrifying fracture like a natural moat in the blink of an eye!
Dust erupted skyward in massive clouds. Debris rained down for hundreds of meters. The breach was enormous, gaping wound in the city's defenses.
At this moment, both the rebels and the defenders seemed shocked by the grand scene before them.
Minds struggled to process what they'd witnessed. Magic on that scale was myth. Legend. Not reality.
Even the sound of exchanged fire between the two sides temporarily stopped, weapons falling silent as eyes tracked the devastation.
Doom, who had been suspended in the air, quickly descended. His levitation spell released, gravity reclaiming him.
His two magnetic boots stepped heavily into the ground below, ceramite sinking into soil with impact that created small craters.
Doom shook his two trembling metal arms with force, dispelling the aftereffects of channeling so much power. His whole body vibrated with exhaustion and residual energy.
He took a deep breath, forcing oxygen into lungs that burned with exertion. Then shouted to the rebels through the communication channel, voice rough but commanding.
"Why are you still standing there! The assault team will organize an attack immediately! Don't let the enemy react completely!"
Before Doom's voice finished echoing through comm systems, response came.
One by one, the veterans of the resistance army wearing carapace armor rushed out of their hiding positions without hesitation. Training overrode shock. Purpose conquered fear.
They pulled the triggers of their lasguns, firing to suppress enemies above on remaining walls. Las-bolts streaked upward, crimson light painting the dust clouds.
The rebels swarmed toward the broken section of the city wall where debris still fell and dust had not yet dispersed. Running. Charging. Exploiting the breach before it could be defended.
"Resistance army battle report, the front battlefield is progressing smoothly, the city wall has been breached by me... the street fighting inside the city is about to start."
Doom, wearing his metal helmet, shook his slightly dizzy head vigorously. The magic had cost him. Vision swam. Balance wavered. But he remained functional.
He quickly sent battle situation notification through the communication channel, updating command.
The next second, a mechanical voice from David slowly echoed in Doom's ears, calm despite the chaos.
"Received. My lord has arrived at the target area and is about to launch a decapitation operation."