The army of the Archidux had begun their march and after a couple of days of travel, they arrive in at the outskirts of the Mountain of Storms. In the eyes of everyone, the Archidux, the two Legendary Masters, and the common soldiers, the clear sky without a cloud in sight gave a sense of ease as there was no sign of the Ursine Lord.
As they continue their march, a returning scout approaches the horse of the Archidux.
"Your Excellency, I bring a report. The advance scouting party has identified what seems to be a makeshift fortress at about four hours away from here. Based on the sightings we should vastly outnumber the enemy forces. We were unable to get too close for exact specifics but we have confirmation of the sightings for several former Legates and the two Dragonoids. And while we couldn't get absolute confirmation, it is suspected that Imperatrix Aurelia amongst them as well."
"I see, dismissed."
Having dismissed his subordinate, the Archidux is a little puzzled over why his niece chooses to have the battle take place within a poorly constructed fortress and in the plains near the Mountain of Storms no less. For the Archidux, the most confusing part is that his niece seemingly has no care for the potential wrath of the Ursine Lord for starting a battle within his domain. Naturally, the Archidux is unaware of the rather close relationship between his niece and the Usine Lord.
Although despite his initial confusion the Archidux doesn't halt or slow the march of the army, instead, he sends word that the what could be the final battle is approaching, ordering all soldiers to prepare for battle and be ready for any potential ambush.
After just under four hours, the Archidux hears word from the vanguard that the fort is coming into view. Initially relieved over the lack of ambushes and guerilla tactics, but this feeling doesn't last long as tall walls of glistening metal shine in the far distance beneath the sun. And guarding this shining fortress is a force the size of a centuria, around eighty soldiers, but this force is not of flesh and blood. Standing guard in front of the fortress is centuria of giant metal soldiers, and although the design of several of these metal contraptions differs slightly, they all have the same base design of a one hundred and twenty-metres tall humanoid figure. Although there are a few that seem to take inspiration from quadrupedal monsters.
"Who said it was just a makeshift fortress! What about that is a makeshift fortress! And those metal giants, why were these not in the report!" the Archidux angrily shouts.
While no one else said anything, the entire army of the Archidux is surprised over the sight of the metal giants known as the Big Metal Dragon, even though some of them clearly have no resemblance to Dragons anymore.
Seeing the anger of the Archidux, the scout who initially brought back the information attempts to slip away, but unfortunately for him, he gets spotted by the Archidux who draws the pistol at his side and shoots down the fleeing scout.
"I see her! The Imperatrix, Aurelia! Up on the walls!" one of the vanguards call out.
"Her presence here is the only saving grace of this mess. While they are certainly imposing, our army numbers over ten thousand strong and we have two Legendary Masters. Those metal giants shouldn't be able to move, likely a bluff. No one in the world has yet to uncover the secrets of the golem technology used by the empires of old, ignore them and press onwards! Capture Aurelia!" the Archidux orders, sending the army into battle.
Rushing into battle, the army attempts to siege the fortress, shields raised, the block out the hail of arrows and gunshots the rain upon them, but as they draw close to the metal giants that they assumed couldn't move, both the shields and body of the soldier are cut cleanly in two by the giant metal blade.
"Impossible!" the Archidux yells, "how could they possibly have golem technology that not even the foremost experts of the world could recreate!"
"This is turning out to be far more interesting than I thought it would," says Flavius, standing by the Archidux's side.
"The battle prowess of those golems are certainly high, even with my tough body I would be hesitant to take a hit from one of them," says Nonus, standing opposite of Flavius.
Meanwhile over on the ramparts, the doppelganger of Aurelia is overlooking the battlefield when she notices the two middle-aged looking men standing beside the Archidux. Having determined who they are, she rushes towards the centre tent where Lia, Vorenia, and the other Legates are located.
"There's a problem, my Uncle has enlisted the help of two Legendary Masters, the Sword of Flame and the Underworld's Bane. They have yet to join the battle and are standing guard beside my Uncle, but it's only a matter of time before they join in."
"This could complicate things, the Big Metal Dragon's can handle pretty much any class that's Tier 5 or below, but most Legendary Masters should be able to make quick work of them. When is your main body returning with Lord Gaoh?" Lia asks.
"Hold on... in about one hour, both my main body and Lord Gaoh will arrive."
While they are discussing how to proceed, Lia hears word from Cordelia who has been hiding on the cliffside, saying that two people have started to destroy the Big Metal Dragon's. Lia tells her to just focus on keeping them busy for as long as possible and once the last one is destroyed, she should join the battle herself.
"I've just gotten word from Cory, while no one was specifically named, the two people she was talking about are likely the Legendary Masters as they have started moving against the Big Metal Dragons. I've told her to keep them busy for as long as possible, but it is only a matter of time before she has to join the fight herself. As it stands, she is probably the only one who can keep the Legendary Masters at bay for a bit, so let's do our part and help with dealing with the rest of the army."