The members of the Guerrilla unit watched in awe as Talulah suddenly breathed a torrent of flames toward the enemy! The fire erupting from her mouth was even several times stronger than the Originium Arts she had used previously. The flames surged forward, instantly creating a sea of fire that slammed into the landship, melting through its steel hull.
"Ugh... cough, cough!"
Talulah covered her mouth and coughed violently. She had actually just spat fire from her mouth? Looking at the burning wreckage ahead, it seemed the power of that flame was indeed far superior to her usual Arts. However, the side effect was that her throat now felt like it was on fire, as if she had inhaled thick, acrid smoke. Fortunately, it wasn't a major injury; a few days of rest should suffice.
The people around her were stunned by Talulah's sudden outburst. They turned to observe the girl closely. How did she manage to breathe fire from her mouth without feeling the heat?
"Do you know who that person in the sky is? The voice sounds like Jeanne, but from a distance, her appearance is a bit different... She isn't an enemy, is she?" Frostnova approached and asked Talulah. She had vaguely heard Jeanne's voice coming from atop the monster, but the aura of the person clad in black armor was entirely different from Jeanne's usual self. Due to the distance, Frostnova couldn't be certain, so she sought clarification from Talulah.
"Cough... That's Jeanne. It's just that her aura changed suddenly... cough, cough... Those dragons must be creatures she summoned," Talulah explained with difficulty. She was certain it was Jeanne, but she wondered why she had felt an irresistible urge to breathe fire the moment Jeanne spoke.
Jeanne's command had awakened a power within Talulah she didn't even know she possessed. Looking at these creatures that seemed to have stepped out of ancient Victorian murals, Talulah felt that Jeanne was shrouded in many secrets...
At that moment, a Wyvern dove toward the Guerrillas' position, and everyone finally got a clear look at the behemoth. Dark red scales covered its entire body except for its belly; it had thick, powerful hind legs, expansive wings, and bone spikes along its back and tail—all of which signaled to everyone just how terrifying a foe such a creature would be once airborne.
The mere gaze of its snake-like vertical pupils exerted an inexplicable pressure. Aside from Talulah, the only one present who wasn't affected by this pressure was Patriot, who bore the ancient Sarkaz bloodline.
"It seems my speed wasn't too bad. I hope I'm not late, Talulah?"
As she spoke, Jeanne jumped down from the Wyvern's back. Her slight, slender frame stood in stark contrast to the massive beast. No one could have imagined that these catastrophe-like creatures would obey such a young girl. Shouldn't their master be some ancient Victorian hero?
"No, you're just in time! Thanks to these guys, the people on that landship are too busy to worry about us now," Talulah's coughing had subsided, though her voice remained raspy. A faint smile played on her lips.
Just then, all the turrets on the landship began to swivel, firing shells toward the Wyverns in the sky like a dying beast making a final, desperate struggle. However, to their horror, the Wyverns were as nimble as swallows in the sky; the shells couldn't hope to track their speed. Furthermore, the warship lacked any dedicated anti-air defenses.
On this continent, no nation had developed specialized aerial warfare weaponry. The skies, filled with Originium dust and sporadic Catastrophes, remained a blank space; almost no one had developed an air force. Consequently, almost no landship was equipped with anti-air measures. Trying to hit these Wyverns with heavy cannons was as difficult as trying to cut down a swallow with a broadsword. Unless they were legendary masters of the blade, it was an impossible feat.
The soldiers aboard the landship were now tasting true despair. They couldn't hit the things in the sky, yet they couldn't afford to ignore them.
Meanwhile, the Guerrillas planned to invade the interior of the landship through the section Talulah had melted, aiming for a "decapitation" strike. Only Patriot, a group of Shieldguards, and Talulah entered. Frostnova stayed outside to lead the rest of the unit against the remaining army. Jeanne remained to control the Wyverns, ensuring they didn't accidentally destroy the entire ship while her allies were inside.
"In the name of Jeanne, I grant you the flames of victory! Gather beneath this banner and wage war! My kin! (You've been buffed, now go!)"
Jeanne waved her Dragon Banner. Everyone felt the oppressive aura of the Wyverns surge once more as their strength was enhanced. Simultaneously, Talulah felt a warm current flood her body. Her exhaustion vanished instantly. She felt her strength reach a terrifying level—she felt as though she could take on ten versions of her former self!
"What is this power? How did I become so much stronger?" Talulah asked Jeanne. In her understanding, the greater the power, the higher the price—just as an Infected's Arts grew stronger as their condition worsened. What price would she have to pay for this? Or had Jeanne already paid it for her?
"It's hard to explain in a short time, but there are no side effects. Get inside quickly! I'll tell you all about it when you get back."
Just as Jeanne had suspected, the "Dragon Witch" ability to enhance dragon-kin worked perfectly on Talulah as well. However, the only "danger" for Talulah was that she might be susceptible to Jeanne's commands, doing things she hadn't intended—like breathing fire. The Dracos had long ago lost their breath weapon ability, but under Jeanne's command, the instinct of countless generations past had been forcibly awakened.
Once the strike team entered the landship, Jeanne focused on harassing the remaining army. She believed that in the cramped corridors of a ship, few could stand against Patriot and his Shieldguards.
With each wave of Jeanne's black banner, the circling Wyverns dove toward the deck like hawks. They spat tongues of fire before banking back into the clouds, leaving behind violent explosions and a ship wreathed in flames.
The auxiliary forces clashing with Frostnova saw the chaos and dropped their weapons, turning to flee. Most were not career Ursus soldiers but conscripted members of the Inspection Teams. They weren't doing this out of loyalty; they had been promised transfers to police units in the big cities to escape the freezing tundra if they helped wipe out the Guerrillas.
Now, the military leadership was in a shambles. They didn't know whether to deal with the Guerrillas inside or the Wyverns in the sky. This had exceeded their operational capacity! Unless at least three more landships arrived, they were doomed to perish in this struggle... just like the villagers they had massacred to draw the Guerrillas out.