"Mister, the crosshair isn't on the Cerus!"
Ivan already knew that. He immediately tried to reverse the tank, but the M1 Abrams had lost traction—it wouldn't budge.
"This is bullshit!" Ivan cursed.
He needed to force the Cerus to back off, but how? Then, a bold idea formed in his mind.
Think. Think!
Then, an idea.
"Jusis, you have the controls, right?"
"Yes?"
"Twist your right hand down and left hand up—steer the turret!"
Jusis hesitated. "Like this?"
As he moved the controls, the turret rotated for the first time. He gasped and instinctively let go.
"That's it! Now, when I say traverse left, raise your right hand—traverse right, lower it. Got it?!"
"Got it!"
"Good! TRAVERSE LEFT—HARD!"
The turret spun rapidly—and like a sledgehammer, the barrel smashed into the Cerus' side, staggering it.
"Now TRAVERSE RIGHT—HARD!"
Another brutal impact. The creature let out a deep, guttural growl, but its grip held firm.
Ivan gritted his teeth and pulled his rifle. One-handed, he fired at the monster through the open hatch, emptying half a magazine of 7.62mm rounds.
It flinched—but it wasn't enough.
Then, a rustle behind Jusis.
He turned—and locked eyes with a goblin peering through the hatch.
Shit.
He drew his Glock-18 and fired. One shot. The goblin's body jerked backward.
More were coming and trying to climb up to the tank.
They need to end this or else they will be overwhelmed by smaller enemies..
"Jusis! The gun! IS IT ON TARGET?!"
Jusis quickly looked through the scope, but the crosshair was slightly off the target. "It's off! It needs to be moved slightly to the right!" he said.
"Alright then, traverse right again—but slowly and just a little!"
"Like what I did earlier?"
"Yes, but slowly!"
Jusis did as instructed but overshot the turn.
"Tsk, just a little traverse to the left now. If it lines up, just shout 'on'! Calibrate the rotation on your own now!" Ivan commanded.
Gritting his teeth, Jusis adjusted the gun to the left—slowly. He missed again, but now the gun was pointed much closer to the target.
"Just a little to the right again!"
He carefully made another adjustment, and this time, the aim was perfect, lining up precisely with the enraged monster.
"It's on! It's on! It's on!" Jusis shouted.
"Ha! Now eat this—fire it, Jusis!"
"Raaarrghhh!!!" Jusis roared as he pulled the main gun trigger.
The Cerus, oblivious to its impending doom, fixated on the barrel of the tank's main gun—just in time to witness something hurtling toward it at terrifying speed. In an instant, thousands of tungsten balls erupted from the cannon, slamming into the monstrous titan with the force of a thunderclap. The sheer impact sent the Cerus staggering backward, its massive frame trembling under the relentless barrage. Though the projectiles failed to pierce completely through its hide, the sheer volume of fire left it riddled with gaping wounds and holes, its dark, ichor-like blood gushing from its battered form.
With the beast toppled onto the ground, Ivan seized the opportunity. He throttled the tank forward, the engine roaring like a beast unleashed. The 70-ton behemoth rolled over the fallen monster with a deafening crunch, its treads grinding flesh and bone into the dirt. A sickening tremor rippled through the battlefield as the Cerus's body gave way beneath the immense weight, its final, guttural roar silenced beneath the tank's relentless advance.
Yet, there is no time to celebrate. Only a brief sense of relief before the next wave of chaos descended upon them.
Orcs and goblins were closing in, their guttural snarls and war cries echoing across the battlefield. The ground trembled under the weight of their charge, their numbers seemingly endless.
Jusis, still reeling from the intensity of the fight, muttered breathlessly, "Is the Cerus dead, Mister Ivan?"
Ivan exhaled sharply, his eyes scanning the approaching horde through the tank's periscope. "Yes, it should be dead now. You lost your consciousness earlier, what happened?"
Jusis wiped the blood away with his sleeve, grimacing as his fingers brushed against the wound. "I hit my head… bleeding a little."
Ivan clenched his jaw, his mind racing. The enemy is closing in from multiple directions, their numbers overwhelming. He had to decide—secure Jusis or fight?
After a moment's hesitation, he made his call.
"Alright, just stay put. I'll patch you up—"
"No!" Jusis cut him off, his voice resolute despite the pain. "We don't have time for that. I can still fight." He wiped his forehead again, smearing the blood across his skin. "Just give me an order!"
Ivan wanted nothing more than to treat Jusis's wound, but time was a luxury they didn't have. No matter how much he hated it, he had no choice but to rely on him now.
Taking a deep breath, he nodded. "Understood. I need you to do exactly what you did earlier—load another canister round."
Jusis gritted his teeth, fighting through the pain. "I'm on it."
Moving swiftly, he crossed past the main gun, pulled the lever down, and ejected the spent casing with a metallic clank. He then opened the ammo rack, grabbed another canister round, and slammed it into the chamber with a grunt of effort.
"Loaded!" Jusis called out.
"Get back to your station!"
Jusis hurried back into position, adrenaline surging through his veins. "What now?! Should I fire?!"
Ivan popped his head out of the hatch, scanning the battlefield. The sight that met him was grim.
To the left, the southern position, the treeline pulsed with hundreds of glowing crimson eyes. An entire horde of goblins and orcs lurked in the shadows, their weapons glinting in the dim light as they prepared to charge.
To make matters worse, their allies were nowhere in sight.
The only signs of friendly forces were the distant echoes of explosions crashing into the ground—a sign that adventurers were still fighting somewhere nearby. But before they could regroup, they had to eliminate the immediate threat.
Ivan turned the Abrams' turret, aligning the cannon directly at the treeline. After locking onto the enemy position, he quickly checked his rifle, ensuring it was loaded and ready.
Then, his voice rang out. "Jusis, when I say fire, pull the trigger and, I want you to immediately climb behind you and stand there!"
Jusis blinked, glancing behind him. Leila's captain seat. "And then what?"
"I'll give you another order when you're up there. But first, look through the thermal scope—tell me what you see."
Jusis swallowed hard and peered through the scope. His breath hitched.
The treeline is packed.
A sea of goblins and orcs—hundreds of them—waiting, snarling, gripping their weapons, preparing to rush.
His fingers trembled slightly over the trigger. His instincts screamed at him to fire. But he forced himself to wait for Ivan's command.
"There's too many of them," Jusis murmured.
Taking a deep breath, Ivan gripped his rifle. "Let's kill them. Is the gun locked on?"
Jusis focused the crosshairs. The main gun was perfectly aligned.
"It's on."
Ivan's response was calm and unwavering. "We'll take them all. Get ready."
Ivan's voice thundered over the chaos.
"FIRE! THEN GET UP—NOW!"
"HERE I GO!"
Jusis squeezed the trigger.
BOOOOM!
The 120mm cannon ROARED, the recoil shaking the tank to its core.
A storm of tungsten balls blasted out, spreading into a deadly fan shape.
Hundreds of goblins and orcs were ripped apart, their bodies shredded instantly. Limbs and viscera flew in all directions, painting the battlefield in a grotesque tapestry of carnage. Screams of agony filled the air as the survivors, driven by rage and desperation, charged forward.
Ivan opened fire, his rifle barking with precision. Each shot found its mark, picking off the fastest of the charging horde.
Meanwhile, Jusis scrambled up to the Captain's hatch, pulling himself up until his upper body is exposed from the turret.
"I'M HERE!" he shouted.
Ivan pointed toward a mounted weapon. "See that with the wooden handles?! I want you to grip it with BOTH hands, place your thumbs sideways, point it towards the enemy and then push down for THREE SECONDS."
Jusis followed his gaze. The M3 Machine Gun.
He grabbed it, his hands trembling but steadying as he gripped the handles.
Aimed at the treeline.
Then pressed down.
BRRRRRRRRRRRRRTTTTTT!!!
The M3 GAU-21 roared to life, spewing a relentless hail of 12.7mm rounds at blistering speed. The sheer force of the gun's recoil jolted through Jusis' arms, startling him. Instinctively, he let go, gasping as the mounted weapon clattered to a halt.
He stared at his hands, feeling the lingering vibration of the machine gun. It is unlike anything he had ever wielded so far. It is not magic, yet it held a terrifying, destructive power beyond his imagination. A weapon that could cast death with just the press of a finger.
Ivan saw his reaction and nodded approvingly. "That's right. Keep firing in short bursts. But if they get too close, hold it down and let it rip."
Jusis barely heard him. A smile crept onto his face. The deafening roar of gunfire, the acrid scent of gunpowder, the sight of enemies falling like wheat before a scythe—it was intoxicating.
Ivan was about to ask if he understood, but the enemy was closing in fast. There is no time to wait.
"Fire at will!"
The word "fire" was all Jusis needed to hear.
He squeezed the trigger again, this time maintaining control.
BRRRRT! BRRRRT!
The bursts tore through the charging horde, shredding goblins and orcs alike. Meanwhile, Ivan, perched on the commander's hatch, lined up precise shots with his SCARrifle, dropping any stragglers Jusis missed. The two worked in sync—Jusis cutting down waves of enemies, while Ivan sniped the survivors.
The enemy is only 500 meters away and closing in fast.
"Mow them down!" Ivan ordered.
Jusis pressed the trigger and held it down.
BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTTTT!!!
The GAU-21 roared like an angry god, spitting red tracer rounds that sliced through the enemy like a burning scythe. Goblins were torn apart mid-charge, their bodies reduced to pulp. Even the hulking orcs stood no chance—their thick hides and massive frames crumbling as .50 caliber rounds ripped through flesh, shattered bones, and blew apart limbs.
Within less than a minute, the battlefield fell eerily silent.
Jusis, still high on adrenaline, pulled the trigger again—
Click.
Nothing.
Confused, he pressed down repeatedly. No fire, no recoil, no death. He panicked. "Mister Ivan! I—I think I broke your magic artifact!"
Ivan immediately recognized the problem. "It's out of ammo. I need to reload it."
Jusis frowned, still convinced it is magic. "Are you replenishing its mana?"
Ivan sighed but decided to play along. "Something like that."
Jusis nodded, then turned serious. "Then, I will protect you while you do it." He raised his pistol, his gaze resolute as he met Ivan's scarred eyes.
Ivan nodded. "Please, do it. Don't let them get near us."
As Ivan climbed onto the turret, Jusis repositioned himself, scanning the area. More enemies were closing in—360 degrees. They had to hold the line.
Jusis fired at the incoming goblins, but his shots weren't always accurate. Some missed, some hit—but enough found their mark.
However, some of the enemy managed to reach the tank, their clawed hands grappling onto the hull, trying to climb. Jusis gritted his teeth and drew his short sword, slashing down at the creatures trying to clamber aboard.
Meanwhile, Ivan worked quickly—
He detached the empty ammo box.
Grabbed a fresh one from the turret storage.
Pulled the ammunition belt and fed it into the weapon.
Racked the charging handle.
With a snap, the GAU-21 was locked and loaded.
Just as Jusis' pistol ran empty.
The slide locked back, signaling he was out. But the enemy was still climbing.
Jusis acted on instinct. With a battle cry, he kicked an orc off the tank and slashed another across the throat. But more kept coming.
"Mister, this too!" He held up the pistol, accidentally pointing it at Ivan.
Ivan's eyes darkened.
"How many times do I have to tell you? NEVER point a gun at an ally—empty or not!"
Jusis paled. "Ah! S-sorry!"
Ivan exhaled sharply, took the pistol, and ejected the spent magazine with a click. From his vest, he retrieved a longer, extended mag, slotted it in, then hit the slide release. The pistol snapped back into battery.
Fully loaded.
He handed it back. "Did you see what I just did? That's how you reload. Do it exactly like that when you run out."
Jusis nodded, still fascinated by the longer magazine. "What is this?"
"Extended mag. Holds more rounds. When you run out, swap it like I showed you." Ivan tossed him two more.
Before Jusis could respond, a squad of six goblins broke into a full sprint toward them.
"Hold the pistol with both hands," Ivan instructed. "Near the end of the slide, there's a switch. Flip it."
Jusis obeyed.
"Now, aim at those goblins and hold the trigger down. Sweep it across them—just like with the machine gun."
Jusis braced himself and pulled the trigger.
BANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANG!!!
The Glock-18, now in full-auto, unleashed a stream of bullets, cutting down the goblins in a second.
Jusis blinked in astonishment.
Ivan smirked. "Keep it in semi-auto for now. But if they get too close—use that."
Only then did they notice the silence.
The battle still raged in the distance, but around them, there was nothing but the corpses of the fallen.
A putrid mixture of green and red blood soaked the ground. Bodies lay mangled, torn apart, and beyond recognition. The stench of death filled the air.
They looked down at the base of the tank—
A massive splash of blue blood.
They were still standing on top of the Cerus they had crushed.
Ivan exhaled. "That's the last of the Cerus in this sector. Let's move. We need to assist the others. Keep those bastard away from us"
Jusis nodded. "Leave it to me."
Just then, a squad of defenders arrived. Their expressions were a mix of shock and awe as they surveyed the absolute carnage. And then—the squashed Cerus.
One of them whispered in disbelief, "Unbelievable…"
Ivan addressed the squad leader. "This sector is clear of Cerus. Set up defensive positions and clean up the rest."
The leader saluted sharply. "Understood, sir!"
With that, Ivan climbed back into the driver's hatch, and Jusis resumed manning the machine gun.
The Abrams roared to life, its massive treads crushing bodies beneath as it surged forward.