Desert stretched to the horizon . Yellow sand danced on the breeze . Sandbar Station was gradually swallowed in darkness .

Two large forces met in the air above in a tense standoff . The Northern Barrens and the Southern Wilds faced one another, but really it was a dance between Arcturus Cloude and Cloudhawk . Their first formal, if indirect, conflict . The outcome of this fight would determine whether the Conclave of Judgment would retain a foothold in the south . As such, it was integral to Arcturus’ plans .

The scale of these two armies was nowhere close to even .

The Conclave of Judgment commanded a huge number of troops . Not only did it boast twice the number of vehicles as the south, its ground forces were also vastly superior in number . There were more than five hundred buggies packed with soldiers, in addition to over two thousand lizard and wolf riders .

These forces were bolstered only recently, taken from the territories the Conclave stole from Dawn . While the ground force itself wasn’t the main part of the Conclave’s army, it was a formidable threat . In contrast, the Southern Confederation had no ground force to speak of . It relied on the superior airs.h.i.+ps provided by Nox .

The best comparison was to judge both by the ranking established by the Conclave; spy s.h.i.+ps, expedition s.h.i.+ps, battles.h.i.+ps, carriers and destroyers . The Conclave had over two thousand s.h.i.+ps, five hundred being battles.h.i.+ps . The remainder were largely mid-sized expeditionary s.h.i.+ps .

In total numbers the southern wilds were in an inferior position, with an armada of only eight hundred vessels . However its aerial forces were uniformed and outfitted for war . Its flags.h.i.+p was a lumbering, ancient war machine bristling with particle cannons . By the Conclave’s evaluation standards it was considered carrier cla.s.s, with enough firepower alone to match ten battles.h.i.+ps . Its presence on the battlefield was a serious threat to the enemy armada .

All told, the capabilities of both armies were about equal .

The Conclave had the advantage in terms of scale, but the south met that deficit with more powerful equipment and better trained soldiers . The coming war promised to be fierce, b.l.o.o.d.y and unforgiving .

Dawn watched the slowly encroaching enemy force . Terrangelica was already in hand and she thrust it forward to punctuate her orders . “All forces forward! Meet them head-on!”

The two armies rolled toward each other like fatal storms .

Picking up speed, they closed the distance in short order . From a distance it would look like two ominous clouds colliding while sparks danced in their midst . But what from afar looked like sparks were the roars of cannons, rockets and launchers as they spat death toward one another . The two armies immediately broke into fierce conflict .

The clouds split open as a stream of light burst through, like lightning wreaking havoc in a storm . The roar of a cannon sounded like thunder .

Cloudhawk felt the whole s.h.i.+p rattling beneath his feet . Debris filled the air as guard s.h.i.+ps on either side detonated in midair . Fragments of s.h.i.+p and crew pelted the deck of his s.h.i.+p like a grisly rain . The exchange of fire claimed lives on both sides . The first volley revealed no clear winner .

The Conclave’s army was too large . Below, its ground forces had spread across the desert and was closing on the city .

Lines of armored vehicles kicked up sand in their wake as they sped toward their objective . Wasteland soldiers tore across the dunes on giant lizards with rocket launchers on their shoulders . They didn’t bother to aim, simply letting their payloads loose toward the s.h.i.+ps above with wild abandon . The ground forces were limited in how much damage they could deal to the armada, but they did add pressure and served to hara.s.s their foes from below .

Deadly winds churned, thunder roared . Soon, the ground was littered with broken s.h.i.+ps and dead bodies .

Dawn watched with a grim expression . “They’re better equipped than I expected . ”

While the Conclave’s s.h.i.+ps themselves were not powerful, nearly all of them had been outfitted with destructive missile launchers and other ordinance . They could blow one of Dawn’s s.h.i.+ps to pieces from ten kilometers away . While her s.h.i.+ps were of higher quality overall, they still were having trouble overcoming the sheer number disadvantage . If this continued then winning victory would be costly, if even possible . The death toll would be staggering for both sides whatever the outcome .

It was for precisely such a circ.u.mstance that Cloudhawk chose to come .  

The Conclave’s efforts to conquer the south came directly from Arcturus, and this battle was key in making it happen . Without question, they would be bringing their best to bear . Even borrowing strength from Nox, the Southern Confederation was never going to win this one easily .

Cloudhawk broke in . “We have fewer people, and the Conclave has enough to come back even if we rout them here . If we lose most of our forces it won’t mean a thing even if we win . We have to change our tactics, we can’t go blow for blow . ”

That was where they found themselves . The conclave was too big . Six thousand vessels – even if they lost two s.h.i.+ps for each of Dawn’s one they would still win . The salt in that wound was that these warriors came from their own territory, won after the Conclave swept through and gobbled up all the south’s cities .

If they didn’t find a way to reverse this they might force the Conclave to lose interest in the south for a time, but Cloudhawk’s forces would also be decimated . He would be stuck trying to recover instead of bringing the fight to them .

Cloudhawk knew that his true enemy didn’t reside in the wasteland, but was the lofty and unreachable Arcturus Cloude . If he wanted to tear the Master Demonhunter from his ivory tower in the heart of Skycloud, Cloudhawk would need to first unite the wasteland . All obstacles toward that end had to be removed . Right now, that was the Conclave of Judgment .

Not only did it have to dismantled, but he would need to do it quickly .

In the twenty-some days since Cloudhawk’s return he’d been careful to keep it quiet . Skycloud didn’t realize the threat growing to the south, but once they did they would have no choice but to react . If it took Cloudhawk three years to overcome the north, all that time Arcturus would be bolstering his defenses . At that point there would be no way for wastelanders to break through and conquer the Elysian land .

If they failed to take Fallowmoor Cloudhawk would lose the chance to encircle and overcome Skycloud . At that point Arcturus would be practically invincible and Cloudhawk would know nothing but danger .

The exchange of fire increased in rate and ferocity, as did the damage each side endured . Meanwhile the two armies inched ever closer . The Conclave’s officers ordered their s.h.i.+ps to decelerate and dispatched their air force . Three to four thousand soldiers on the backs of giant birds of prey took to the skies . They stretched out to either side then circles around, ready to take the Southern Confederation’s flanks .

Wastelander flying forces were an important power! Although they weren’t very damaging individually, they were highly maneuverable .

They had many uses in battle, such as superior agility, intercepting missiles, or simply hara.s.sing the enemy and flooding them at close range with gunfire and light munitions . These units were armed with rapid-fire crossbows, machine guns, hand grenades and the like . If a large enough force managed to swing around and attack from the rear they could cause real chaos .

Dawn didn’t hesitate . “Drunk, lead our own air units out to meet them!”

The c.u.mbersome wars.h.i.+ps were too large and moved too slowly to deal with a group of riders this size . The best method to countering them was to send out one’s own fliers and tie them up before they could get too close . However the Southern Confederation was heavily outnumbered . If they didn’t come up with a better plan it would end in mutual destruction .

“As far as I can see there’s only one option to finish this quickly . ” Cloudhawk shot a glance toward Dawn then out across the battlefield . He pointed at the largest vessels in the enemy fleet . They were floating amid a heavily armored entourage . “We need to take out their central command . ”

Dawn understood his aim . Southern Confederation of Conclave of Judgment, armies of this size needed a central point to facilitate commands and give orders . Often there was more than just a single s.h.i.+p, but a cl.u.s.ter of them that ordered different parts of a fleet . If those s.h.i.+ps were destroyed or otherwise prevented from being in contact with the rest of the armada, the enemy would fall into disarray . Routing them would become much easier .

Cut off the head and the body withers! The behemoth that was the Conclave’s army would disintegrate from within!

Any army knew this, so the command flotilla was surrounded by a contingent of powerful guard s.h.i.+ps . Any force worth its salt would keep their best close by and make sure their forces were more concentrated in the area . If the tactic was to destroy an opposing force’s command center, they would first have to obliterate all the rest of the enemy to do it .  

Cloudhawk looked over the target . “Three s.h.i.+ps . Khan, you take the left, Abbadon you head right . I will handle the flags.h.i.+p . Have Roc command your forces while you’re gone and the drunk can buy us time with fliers . I’ll teleport us pa.s.sed their defensive lines . ”

Yes! Cloudhawk could slip right through! Typical defenses meant nothing against his phase powers .

Roc was anxious when he heard the plan . “Your teleportation powers are strong but there’s a limit to how many people you can bring with you . Those s.h.i.+ps are crawling with their best soldiers, it’s too risky for you to get in close and destroy them . ”

“You think this is dangerous?” Cloudhawk had no time to argue . “Prepare to act!”

A minute later s.p.a.ce warped in the air near the Conclave’s command flotilla . A handful of silhouettes appeared in the air . Cloudhawk motioned for them to move out .

The Khan of Evernight led a small group to the left side of the flotilla . Abaddon did the same to the right . Neither of Cloudhawk’s lieutenants were pushovers – one was Nox’s Governor and the other was a demon who once lorded over the southern wilds . Either was more than capable of destroying a few s.h.i.+ps, so a single command vessel each was well within their abilities .

“Let’s go . ”

Cloudhawk brought Dawn and a handful of Polaris fighters toward the enemy’s flags.h.i.+p . It and the other two command s.h.i.+ps were in a trident formation with the central vessel being the largest . It was like a floating mountain that was fitting with a staggering number of weapons . Although Cloudhawk and the others had appeared suddenly, the well-trained enemy had already begun to mount a defense .

Countless heavy weapons belched their payloads . Plumes of fire half a meter thick shot their way . The air was suddenly filled with high-velocity bullets . No one could stand for long against such an intense onslaught!

Cloudhawk from half a year ago would have balked at the sight . The Cloudhawk of today, however, felt no trepidation . Even if he allowed these bullets to strike him they would only cause surface level wounds . He held his left arm in front of him, clenched his fist, and a rich white light surrounded him and his allies .

As the bullets collided with this s.h.i.+eld they bounced away harmlessly! Several heavy machine guns strafed Cloudhawk’s location but it was ultimately a waste of ammunition .

With a scream of challenge Dawn leaped at the s.h.i.+p when they were close enough . She came down on the gun turret with her slender leg . The force behind it collapsed the turret like it was made of tin foil . She followed by brandis.h.i.+ng Terrangelica, urging the weapon to fire a beam of energy through the body of a nearby gunner . It pierced through the thick s.h.i.+eld of his machine gun and cleaved the man himself to pieces . The gun exploded, the blasting sending twisted pieces of metal and scorched chunks of flesh across the deck .

Cloudhawk landed near the engine and disabled it with a fierce kick of his own . His body was instantly swallowed up in a deluge of fire and broken metal but he emerged unscathed . He walked away from the explosion, calm and collected, even as the s.h.i.+p began to list . However a s.h.i.+p this size did not just have a single engine . Destroying a handful wasn’t enough to disable it entirely .

By now the s.h.i.+p’s defenses had time to respond . A large number of flying forces were closing in .

“Let’s head inside!”

Cloudhawk punched a thick metal cabin door with his unadorned fist . With a screech of steel on steel and a shower of sparks, the door was knocked clean off its hinges . He wrenched it free from the frame and flung it over his shoulder, where it slammed into a nearby soldier and turned him to paste . Cloudhawk then strode inside without a care, Dawn and the rest of the Polaris warriors in tow .

The other flier watched in shock and horror . What was that guy?! He was some sort of monster in human skin!

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