It was supposed to be a routine daily coordination meeting between King Stormfury and the generals of the respective formations. As the Head of Intelligence, Baron Marcus, was away at the frontline, his wife, Baroness Janna, was his stand-in for this meeting.

The purpose of the meeting is to share updates on the war situation at the frontline, as well as to discuss stratagems to be adopted next. Chief General Hargreaves began the meeting by asking, "What is our current situation on all fronts?"

A general replied, "Sir, we've done well in the 3 major fronts, achieving victories in all of them. Especially the Northern Front where we successfully captured Targon. We've also secured the perimeter of our territory with forces outside the major divisions, though it must be emphasised that only minor border skirmishes occurred there."

King Stormfury interjected, "I'm more curious about our situation with the Sylph Kingdom. What is our current status there?"

Another general replied, "Your Highness, surprisingly, despite amassing their forces at our border, the Sylphs seem hesitant to launch a major offensive, giving us precious time to reorganise our defence against the larger threat, Miran. However, we've sent the remnants of the 4th Division and the entire 5th Division led by the Child Saint, Sariel, to our northern border with the Sylphs. We've given them explicit instructions to only engage upon blatant aggression from the Sylphs, sir."

King Stormfury nodded his head ruefully, remarking, "I can only pray that the situation with the Sylphs remain at the status quo. I wouldn't want to view them as our enemies." A third general commented happily, "If we keep things up, and assuming the Sylph Kingdom calls off their offensive, this war would be over pretty soon! We have at least 3 Divisions heading towards the Miran capital of Myro currently, victory is assured!"

The other 3 generals nodded optimistically in agreement, as there were active murmuring amidst the crowd. Chief General Hargreaves noticed that Baroness Janna appeared rather stoic about the current situation, so he enquired, "Baroness Janna, what's with the long face?"

The female vampire composed herself before speaking, "In my opinion, I don't think our current situation is anywhere near optimistic now. Think about it, all of our divisions with the exception of the 6th Division have been spread far and wide now. Though we have achieved important victories in the 3 major fronts, it is not without great cost.

All the 3 main divisions have been taxed greatly, especially the 3rd Division which would have collapsed if not for reinforcements from the 4th Division led by Ray. In any case, one clear fact remains; our main fighting forces are located further and further away from our capital, gradually incurring losses as they push further inwards towards Myro. None of the 10 Saints are anywhere near Nirvana, for they are all engaged in the main war effort."

A general interrupted, "Pardon my intrusion, but what exactly are you getting at, Lady Janna? Isn't it natural for our forces to push closer to Myro and further away from Nirvana when we're winning?"

Janna replied calmly, "It is certainly no cause for concern if we had been destroying large numbers of Miranian soldiers as we progressed deeper into Miran. However, from intelligence gathered by my Red Sentinels, statistically, Miran had only committed about 40% of their total forces towards the 3 major fronts, assuming their military is of the same size as ours, a valid assumption.

On the other hand, we've committed 70% of our total forces in the same area. The question is, ignoring the minimal amount of troops placed on border security, where is the large bulk of their army?"

King Stormfury insisted, "I can roughly see where's this going. Continue your speculation on their next course of action, given our current situation." Janna confidently declares, "I believe that Miran has the intention of going straight to the head, here in Nirvana. They are likely to have found some way to avoid encountering our main divisions to minimise their losses as they head towards our capital.

This has evolved into a race, where the victor is the one who seizes the opposing capital first. On our end, our main divisions are exhausted, having travelled long distances on foot and fighting countless battles against stubborn Miran opposition.

Even with the help of the Saints, who are currently weakened or even unable to battle due to their fierce battles with 3 of the 5 Pillars of Miran, so long as a decent number of forces are stationed in Myro, I doubt our main divisions can take down Myro fast enough.

On the other hand, they still have 2 Pillars of Miran who have yet to show themselves, and I doubt, judging by Miran's usual aggressive stance, that they would keep any of them in Myro. Put this together with a substantial majority of their forces, still fresh and in peak condition, and you get an army that would tip the scales of the battle in their favour."

Chief General Hargreaves added, "Hhhm…assuming whatever you propose turns out to be true, this implies that they intend to eliminate the head in order to disrupt our coordination between our various divisions as well as deal a major blow to our soldiers' morale.

Subsequently, they can easily recapture their lost territory by slowly defeating our isolated and disorganised divisions. What a dangerous turn of events this would be. On foresight, what can we do to turn the tables to our favour in such a situation?"

Janna replied, "I believe that-" She was interrupted by the sound of a distant explosion, which was followed by a series of explosions that broke the peaceful silence in Nirvana. A guard suddenly rushed into the room and reported, "Sir! There are multiple airships emerging from the clouds and they have opened fire on our city, sir!"

Everyone present in the meeting immediately rushed out of the conference room in an orderly fashion, only to be greeted by a sight akin to their worst nightmare. The sky was no longer a clear blue, instead, it was covered by smoke and soot as a fleet of approximately 50 airships emerged in one long line.

The city right under them was enveloped in flames, as the sounds of cannonballs firing and the bloodcurdling screams of citizens fleeing for their lives echoed throughout the city. King Stormfury gulped as he struggled to absorb the reality before him.

Janna exclaimed, "I see, by using magic to conceal the airships within the clouds, they are able to fly past our forces undetected. As much as I hate to admit it, their combined use of technology and magic is remarkable."

Chief General Hargreaves snapped out of his shock as he sprung into action, "Someone, get me on the line with Commander Arkad right now! I want the 6th Division to be mobilised immediately to launch our defensive operations, prioritising the evacuation of our citizens! General Ironforge, can your gunners support us?"

General Ironforge, head of the Gunners' Formation, replied confidently, "Sir, I'm currently getting as many of my riflemen stationed within the capital to launch a counteroffensive on the airships. I'll liaise with Commander Arkad to link up with the magicians under his charge to coordinate our air defence measures.

In addition, I'll also get in touch with our Chief Defence Researcher Himmler on the use of the reserve cannons along the walls of Nirvana. That should boost our defence capabilities greatly, sir."

Chief General Hargreaves ordered, "All other generals present here are to assist in the coordination of your respective forces on the ground. Make sure that the supply and communication lines are secure and open! Meeting dismissed!" as a guard brought a magician to General Hargreaves.

Arkad was taken aback when he heard the first explosion. Upon witnessing the rain of fire wrought by the airships which were clearly Miranian with the national flag of Miran coloured onto them, Arkad immediately prepared himself, shouting, "Soldiers of the 6th Division, relay my message! Prioritise the evacuation of our citizens to more secure locations! After which, magicians are to establish defence posts on the rooftops of taller yet sturdy buildings and link up with any riflemen you see and get them to support us! Move now!"

The soldiers of the 6th Division instantly sprung into action, as the foot soldiers aided in the evacuation and protection of the citizens, while the magicians rushed to link up with any available riflemen as they hastily assembled on the rooftops of buildings in proximity to the invading airships, beginning their counter fires.

To their horror, the airships were protected by magic barriers when they attempted to bring them down with long ranged magic and bullets. The airships, noticing the staunch resistance on the ground as more bullets and spells caused ripples on their barriers, redirected their cannons towards the buildings where the Nirvanian defence posts were situated and opened fire.

The Nirvanian magicians, though ill-prepared for anti-air operations, were well-drilled in defending against siege weaponry as they instinctively formed barriers to ward off the incoming cannonballs, successfully holding their positions as they relentlessly returned fire.

On the flagship of the Miran fleet, which could be clearly identified by its slightly larger frame and different design, a slender woman dressed in military uniform with a peak cap on her head was staring far into the landscape. She unconsciously twirled her long blue hair that reached all the way to her back, as she revealed a little smile captivated by the destruction before her.

A Miranian soldier knelt before her and said, "Supreme Commander Annabel, our assault has been going smoothly, though we've just met with some unexpectedly strong resistance from magicians and riflemen from Nirvania. Our barriers are still going strong, but it's only a matter of time they go down."

Annabel said calmly, "That's to be expected from a country whose military might actually rivals that of our own. Nonetheless, I've already thought of a plan to eliminate any resistance to our bombardment.

Spread my orders, inform the ship commanders to focus all their fires on the defensive bases now, before progressing towards the royal palace as planned. I want to completely raze Nirvana to the ground, to show those Nirvanians that victory has always been in our hands all this while. Hahaha! Eustace, carry out the next phase of our plan."

Behind her stood a tall man dressed in an attire similar to a matador with a spiffy red cape, his eccentric appearance further accentuated by his red sunglasses whose lens were semicircular. The man, who was initially leaning against the wall, stood straight and flashed a wide grin, "It's time, huh. Time to bring this country to its knees amidst blood and fire, hehehe."

Eustace turned around and grabbed the radio before speaking into it, "All paratrooper units, launch Operation Gryphon Down now." Eustace then ran towards the edge of the airship and leapt off, laughing hysterically on his way down.

Annabel continued looking out of the airship, witnessing a fierce battle unfold as she patiently waited. For a person whom she deem worthy of challenging her, Annabel of the Centre.

Meanwhile, back at the command post, where the national flag of Nirvania could be seen clearly, with its symbol of the mythical gryphon that represents royalty, Arkad and his commanders were discussing the final technical aspects of their defence plan.

When the discussion was over, Arkad said, "If there're no other matters, I'm going to the frontline." as he opened a case before him, revealing a sabre with a silver hilt. The commanders around him recognised the weapon, the weapon that gave Arkad his famous moniker, the Silver Wolf.

This weapon was [Fenrir], the S-Class magic weapon famous for its destructive capabilities. One commander pumped his chest and declared, "I wish you all the best, sir! Take care of yourself in the battlefield! We'll take care of the coordination aspects, don't worry!"

Arkad rubbed his head bashfully and said, "Yeah, thanks. I was never good with this kind of planning. I'm an ex Black Ops man after all, I'm only good at fighting hahaha! You guys take care too!"

As Arkad walked proudly out of the command post, [Fenrir] in hand, his eyes burned with resolve, as they resembled eyes of one who has stared into death multiple times. He mumbled, "Kai, Yuri, stay safe…" as he rushed onto the battlefield.