Arthur nodded, boarding another shuttle with James. This one took them to the top of the wall. The wall was at least 25 meters wide. Through a lift they arrived at a place that looked like a command center.
The sight of the command center amazed Arthur. Soldiers operated holographic consoles. He then saw on the display as hundreds of cannons emerged from concealed compartments, their barrels glowing faintly as they powered up.
Soldiers in high-tech armor scrambled into position, taking aim at the horde of monsters that stretched to the horizon. Arthur could see drones and what looked like combat shuttles lifting into the air, their sleek forms weaving through the sky as they began to scan and coordinate with the ground forces.
The massive screen in the command center displayed the incoming horde in sharp detail. The beasts were relentless, their sheer numbers causing the ground to tremble. Even from this distance, Arthur could see the wyverns circling overhead, their menacing forms casting shadows over the landscape.
"Status report," James barked.
A soldier at a nearby console replied, "The horde is ten kilometers out and closing fast. Initial scans suggest over a thousand Class-C and Class-B entities. No signs of Class-A threats yet."
"Yet," James muttered under his breath, his face a mask of concentration. "Activate the perimeter shield. I want those cannons ready to fire as soon as they're in range."
Arthur watched as a faint shimmer enveloped the wall. The shield was barely visible, a translucent barrier that pulsed with energy. He couldn't help but marvel at the technology, it was light-years ahead of anything he had ever seen.
"Arthur," James said, snapping him out of his thoughts. "You're about to witness how future battles are fought. Stay out of the way, and don't touch anything."
Arthur nodded, stepping back as the soldiers prepared for battle. The tension in the air was palpable.
The first wave of monsters reached the outer range of the wall's defenses. A loud hum filled the air as the cannons locked onto their targets. Then, with a deafening roar, the weapons unleashed their fury.
Streams of plasma and concentrated energy bolts lit up the sky, striking the monsters with pinpoint accuracy. The ground shook as explosions rippled through the horde, sending debris and carcasses flying in all directions.
Despite the devastation, the monsters pressed on, driven by some primal fear. The wyverns swooped down, their stingers firing streams of acidic venom at the shield. The barrier absorbed the attacks, shimmering brightly each time it was hit.
"They're testing the shield's strength," James muttered. "Smart, but not smart enough."
A squadron of drones descended from the sky, engaging the wyverns in aerial combat. The machines were swift and precise, dodging the wyverns' attacks and retaliating with bursts of energy that burned through their wings. One by one, the flying beasts plummeted to the ground.
Arthur couldn't tear his eyes away from the spectacle. It was a scene straight out of a science fiction movie, but it was real and terrifying.
Arthur's attention shifted to the soldiers stationed along the wall. Many wielded high-tech rifles that fired bursts of glowing projectiles, cutting down the smaller creatures with ease. Others carried heavier electromagnetic guns that emitted an ominous hum before discharging beams of energy that incinerated clusters of monsters in a single shot.
A few soldiers just outside the gate with plasma swords glowing in their hands. They met the creatures that had managed to come too close, slicing through them with fluid, practiced movements.
Arthur's eyes widened in awe as he observed the soldiers' enhanced agility and strength. They moved faster than any normal human should be capable of, their strikes precise and devastating.
One soldier vaulted over a monster's tail swipe and landed a decisive slash that severed the creature's wing. Another blocked a clawed attack with a glowing energy shield, retaliating with a shot from a sidearm that vaporized the attacker.
"These soldiers…" Arthur murmured to himself. "They're enhanced."
Arthur's gaze shifted back to the screen. He saw one of the massive creatures, resembling a T-rex clad in scales gleaming in metallic sheen, break through the front lines. Several soldiers rushed to intercept it, their weapons ineffective against its armored hide.
Then, one of them activated a mechanism on their suit, leaping high into the air and landing atop the beast. With a series of rapid strikes, the soldier found a weak spot and plunged their plasma sword deep into the creature's neck. The beast let out a final roar before collapsing.
He noticed how they coordinated seamlessly with the drones overhead. The aerial units targeted weak points in the monsters' armor, relaying information to the ground forces in real-time.
Combat shuttles swooped down to deliver reinforcements or unleash devastating payloads of explosives, creating fiery craters in the horde's ranks.
Despite the advanced technology and overwhelming firepower, Arthur couldn't shake the tension building in his chest. The sheer scale of the battle was mind blowing, seeing it in movies and in real life are completely different. He found himself gripping the edge of a console, his knuckles white.
The battle raged on for what felt like an hour. The wall's defenses held strong, but the horde showed no signs of stopping. More monsters emerged from the forest, joining the fray. Arthur noticed that some of the creatures seemed to be coordinating their attacks, targeting weaker sections of the shield.
"Reinforcements?" James asked, his voice calm but firm.
"They're en route sir," a soldier replied. "ETA, fifteen minutes."
James frowned. "We need to hold on until then. Divert additional power to the forward cannons and deploy ground units to the secondary line."
Arthur watched as soldiers descended from the wall in armored vehicles. These machines bristled with weapons, their turrets swiveling to track and eliminate targets. The ground units formed a defensive line, engaging the monsters with precision and efficiency.
Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed across the battlefield. Arthur snapped his head towards it to see the source of the sound. Emerging from the forest was a massive creature, easily three times the size of the biggest monsters present on the battlefield.
Its body was covered in thick, armored plates, and its eyes glowed with a malevolent red light. The ground shook with each step it took.
"Class-A threat detected," a soldier announced, his voice tinged with urgency.
James's jaw tightened. "Focus all fire on that thing. Do not let it reach the wall."
The cannons shifted their aim, unleashing a barrage of firepower at the behemoth. The creature roared in defiance, its armored hide absorbing the attacks. It charged toward the wall, its massive claws tearing through anything in its path.
Arthur felt a surge of helplessness. Despite the advanced technology and firepower, the creature seemed unstoppable. He could only hope that the station's defenses would hold.
"Prepare the plasma disruptor," James ordered. "This ends now."
A section of the wall opened, revealing a massive weapon unlike others Arthur had seen on the wall. It hummed with energy, glowing brighter with each passing second. Soldiers scrambled to calibrate the weapon, their movements precise and practiced.
The behemoth was now dangerously close, its roars echoing off the walls. The plasma disruptor fired, releasing a blinding beam of energy that struck the creature square in the chest. The impact was catastrophic. The behemoth let out one final, ear-splitting roar before collapsing to the ground, its massive body lifeless.
Cheers erupted from the soldiers, but James remained stoic. "Status?"
"The horde is retreating," a soldier reported. "With zero casualties. Reinforcements will arrive shortly to secure the area."
James nodded, turning to Arthur. "Welcome to the future, Arthur. This is just the beginning."
Arthur didn't know how to respond. The battle had left him in awe, and filled him with questions. What kind of world had he stumbled into? And what role would he play in it?
As the soldiers began to regroup, James placed a hand on Arthur's shoulder. "Come with me. We have much to discuss."
As Arthur was turning around to follow James, there were two more roars similar to the one with Class-A designation. The soldiers paled at the sound.
"Commander two more Class-A threats are arriving from the south" a soldier reported in urgency.
"What about the plasma disruptor?" James demanded.
"Sir it would take 3 minutes to recharge and there is no guarantee we would be able to take down the two threats." a soldier reported.
"Focus every canon on them then…delay them as much as we can" James said.
All the canons then turned towards the two behemoths and rained plasma beams but it was causing minimal damage. The two Class-A threats will arrive in less than 1 minute at the wall.
Arthur hesitated for a moment, took a deep breath and said "I can help".
[A/N: He is really ignorant of the world and is not cautious enough.]
James looked surprised at Arthur and asked "Are you sure, you will be torn apart if you underestimate them". Though James doesn't know from where Arthur's confidence was coming from he chose to believe him.
He has seen Arthur composed even after knowing he arrived at the future and he was able to stay alive for more than two weeks in the forest, so he must have some capability. Still only ECHOs are able to take on Class-A threats single handedly.
"Alright" James responded. And asked a soldier to guide him towards the gate, the soldier looked respectfully towards Arthur and saluted him "Goodspeed soldier". Though Arthur was not a soldier technically, him going to the battlefield to defend the station has earned their respect.
After Arthur arrived outside the gate, it closed. He took a last glance at it, then faced the two behemoths running towards the wall and cracked his knuckles.
"Alright…it's show time."
***
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