The doors of the lead dropship hissed open, revealing the barren industrial yard of Tenryu Forge. Without a sound, Ash and his team exited, the metallic clang of boots against the ground muffled by the humming energy fields of their stealth suits.
Raiga was first to move. He extended his hand, fingers crackling with power, and a storm field enveloped the area. A wave of lightning surged outward, instantly short-circuiting the forge's external defense systems. Sparks flew, followed by a cascade of electrical discharges as the automated turrets sputtered and fell silent.
"Now," Ash commanded.
Riku was next, his body a blur of speed and lethal grace. With every strike, his Storm Fang technique left behind aftershocks that caused the surrounding machinery to collapse, shredded by his electrified blows. His strikes were precision itself, incapacitating workers before they even had a chance to fight back.
Sora moved like a shadow, his presence nearly imperceptible. He used his Eclipse Snare technique to confound and disorient the workers inside the forge. A flash of black lightning, and they were trapped in a field of darkness, unable to move as the bolts constricted tighter around their bodies.
The Musa warriors followed in perfect formation, their movements fluid and calculated. As Ash led them deeper into the forge's core, they fell upon any resistance like a storm, their plasma-forged katanas cutting through security personnel and rogue mercenaries alike with surgical precision.
Behind them, the Oni-Brigade began to deploy, taking up positions around the perimeter, ensuring that no reinforcements would make it past them. Their matte-black armor was nearly invisible against the steel-grey surroundings of the forge, their crimson visors glowing faintly as they prepared to hold the line.
"We've reached the central hub," Ash said, his voice low as he moved towards the facility's core—a massive chamber lined with rows of weaponry and machinery. The heart of Tenryu Forge lay ahead, but the real battle was just beginning.
The objective was clear: capture the forge and secure its assets before they could be used against the galaxy.
The war had arrived.
The Assault Begins
The doors of the lead dropship hissed open with a hydraulic groan, releasing a rush of supercooled air into the scorched winds of Tenryu Forge. Dust whipped across the barren industrial yard, stained black by years of soot and scorched fuel. Without a word, Ash and his strike team disembarked, their boots hitting the ferrocrete ground in perfect sync—each impact dulled by the soft hum of their adaptive stealth suits.
Above them, the sky was chaos.
Enemy interceptors shrieked into the atmosphere, streaking contrails of plasma and fire as they scrambled to defend the forge. Kōryū-4 (昊竜-4), the lead tactical dropship, spun midair to dodge incoming fire, its AI-driven cannons returning bursts of electromagnetic slugs that tracked heat signatures with ruthless efficiency.
"Bogeys on the six," the pilot AI barked.
A vicious dogfight erupted. Friendly fighters peeled from escort formation, engaging the enemy with coordinated maneuvers that tore through the sky like raptors in a feeding frenzy. Laser bursts crisscrossed the atmosphere. Chaff exploded like metallic blossoms. One interceptor spiraled out of control, trailing smoke as it disintegrated against a shielded cliff wall.
"Hold them off," he said into his comms. "We don't win this unless we hold the forge."
The Kage-Type Zero Fighters, sleek and deadly, streaked through the dogfight with unparalleled agility, their twin plasma-jet hybrid thrusters emitting a faint but powerful hum as they darted between enemy ships. Their combat systems, powered by Shinsei-3 AI, assisted the pilots in making split-second decisions, each movement more fluid and deadly than the last. The fighters' graviton vector thrusters gave them the advantage in close-range combat, spinning and diving as they weaved through the chaos of the sky.
One Kage-Type Zero Fighter, streaking like a shadow in the midst of the chaos, locked onto a vulnerable target and fired its micro-Senbon torpedoes in rapid succession. The torpedoes sliced through the atmosphere and made short work of an enemy frigate, the explosion swallowing the ship whole.
"Clear them out," Ash said, his tone commanding. "We need those skies clean if we're going to make it to the core."
With the last of the enemy fighters falling, the battlefield was temporarily silent except for the low hum of the remaining friendly fighters moving into formation.
The Talon frigates weren't easily overwhelmed. They struck with brutal efficiency, their disruptor banks scoring direct hits that slashed through the friendly ships' shields. Yet the Kage-Type Zero fighters outmaneuvered them with graceful ease, darting and weaving between the enemy fire.
"Adjust protocols," came the cold voice of Captain Lin, her hands steady on the helm. "We've fought worse than this."
The enemy ship's disruptor banks scored direct hits, slashing through the Talon-class shields with frightening accuracy. Yet the Kage-Type Zero fighters responded with relentless precision, their AI systems helping guide the shots to hit weak points in the Talon frigates' shields. A volley of plasma bursts and kinetic rounds struck one of the Talon frigates. It twisted violently, sparking in the atmosphere, then careened into a steep dive, breaking apart as it exploded.
The second Talon frigate wasn't done. It surged forward with ruthless speed, its weapons charging for a retaliatory strike, but it was too late. A Kage-Type Zero Fighter fired its micro-Senbon torpedoes in a last, precise attack. The torpedoes tore through the enemy ship's hull, and the Talon frigate shattered in a ball of fire.
On the ground, the Musa warriors advanced like wind and flame. Plasma-forged katanas hissed through rogue mercenaries and security alike. The resistance crumbled. Around the perimeter, the Oni-Brigade held the line, their black armor blending with steel surroundings as reinforcements arrived too late—caught in sniper fire and trip-disruptor traps.
Ash approached the forge's inner sanctum, stepping through flickering doors and ruined servos.
"We've reached the central hub," he said, eyes locking on the weapons vault ahead.
The heart of Tenryu Forge loomed like a steel god—walls lined with experimental weapons, fusion cores, and arcane tech powerful enough to destabilize entire star systems.
Their mission was simple in theory: seize the forge, deny the enemy, and shift the tide of war.
No retreat.
No mercy.
The war had come—and Ash was its storm.