Arcane: TTB: Ch. 143

"Since that is the case, let Councilor Talis take on this important duty, entrusting the defense of Piltover to him is most fitting."

Ambessa smoothly pivoted her recommendation, putting forward Jayce as the candidate instead of her original choice.

She had initially intended to nominate Caitlyn for the position, but Jayce's display of raw power had impressed the veteran general, who had always valued decisive action over political posturing.

The mechanical dragon perched atop the council hall had taken Ambessa completely by surprise as well. She'd known Jayce was brilliant, but this exceeded her expectations.

Currently, the most formidable aerial force among Runeterra's nations belonged to Demacia's elite dragonhawk riders, yet how could mere flesh and blood creatures ever truly compete with a Hextech Dragon?

On the strength of that military asset alone, Jayce possessed enough real power to secure a seat in any government's war council, including Zaun's.

Air superiority was both rare and decisive, whoever controlled the skies during warfare gained an overwhelming advantage. Even a mediocre commander could suddenly contend with legendary generals if they held absolute air dominance.

Ambessa extended her hand toward Jayce. She had never thought highly of this son-in-law candidate before today, but his performance had finally earned her acknowledgment.

Unfortunately, Jayce completely failed to understand the cultural significance behind Ambessa's gesture.

"Salute Councilor Talis, Military Commander of Piltover!"

Ambessa's commanding voice echoed through the chamber as she slammed her right fist against her left breastplate. The strike of metal gauntlet against armor rang out in a sharp sound.

This was the traditional Noxian salute of allegiance, a gesture symbolizing the offering of one's heart and loyalty to a superior officer.

Her soldiers immediately replicated the motion in perfect unison, and within seconds the entire council chamber resonated with the rhythmic chorus of steel striking steel.

Jayce stood there looking bewildered by Ambessa's sudden military theatrics.

While it was true that he had come here intending to claim authority, he hadn't been present for the earlier negotiations between the councilors and Ambessa, now he found himself standing confused and uncertain.

"Commander, please step forward and address your forces. What are your orders?"

Mel rose from her seat to accept an ornate military cloak from Rictus, then approached Jayce and carefully draped the heavy garment over his broad shoulders, fastening it with ceremonial clasps.

The moment the cloak settled around him, Jayce felt something shift, sudden strength surged through his body, his muscles felt energized and ready.

"Come forward. Accept your responsibility."

Ambessa once more extended her hand.

Jayce glanced toward Mel. Under her encouraging smile and subtle nod, he steadied his nerves, then placed his hand firmly into that of his prospective mother-in-law, accepting the role of military commander.

He walked confidently out onto the council chamber's balcony, where the sweeping panoramic view of Piltover stretched out majestically below.

His eyes immediately focused on the distant Hexgate facility, where massive swarms of combat drones filled the sky so dense they seemed to blot out the sun.

"The people of Zaun are not our enemies. They are our allies in this crisis. We must never raise our weapons against those who stand with us in defending our home."

"Our true enemies are clear: the Clan Ferros who have betrayed Piltover's trust, and the invading Noxian forces who seek to conquer us."

"By my authority as your commander, pursue and capture the Ferros conspirators, apprehend the Noxian invaders before they can escape or reinforce!"

Having delivered his inaugural speech, he issued his first military orders. Then, without any hesitation or second-guessing, he vaulted over the balcony railing.

Before the stunned gazes of everyone present in the council chamber, he reappeared astride the massive dragon, guiding the mechanical beast swiftly toward the besieged Hexgate facility.

The commander's cloak streaming in the wind, the assembled crowd could only watch that solitary figure recede into the distance.

Blue skies, a mechanical dragon, a billowing crimson cloak, one silhouette... the image of this gallant, heroic moment seemed burned into their memory.

"Deploy all available aerial gunships immediately, rendezvous with Councilor Talis at the Hexgate coordinates at once!"

Sheriff Grayson pulled out her communicator and began issuing rapid-fire commands to her scattered enforcer units throughout the city.

Within minutes, several gunships pulled up alongside the council chamber's balcony, their crews tossing rope ladders down onto the marble platform.

"Move out, double time! We've got a commander to support!"

Under the coordinated leadership of both Sheriff Grayson and Caitlyn, the enforcers efficiently boarded the waiting gunships.

Ambessa, accompanied by Rictus and her family's well-trained private army, commandeered another vessel for their own deployment, and even Mel decided to join this operation personally.

For once in his life, Jayce was shining with such brilliant intensity that she desperately wanted to witness it with her own eyes rather than hearing about it secondhand.

Ambessa made no attempt to stop her daughter from joining the mission. She had always considered Mel too soft and sheltered; witnessing real combat operations up close could only strengthen her character and resolve.

Besides, with both herself and Rictus present as safeguards, there was no chance of any real danger reaching Mel anyway.

---

"Where are they positioned now?"

Jayce, struggling to maintain his balance while riding the dragon through powerful winds, squinted against the rushing air as he shouted his question. An earpiece kept him in constant communication with Zaun at all times.

The dragon's speed generated gales so powerful they blurred his vision and forced involuntary tears from the corners of his eyes. Breathing was difficult at this velocity, and the frigid high-altitude air bit through his clothes, he couldn't stop shivering violently.

In future versions, we need to design a proper enclosed cockpit inside this dragon. Standing exposed on its head might look impressive and heroic, but it's absolutely freezing up here!

"They're currently moving through the maintenance ventilation tunnel system. Camille has successfully extracted Emystan and is leading her strike force toward an exit point."

Jayce immediately slowed the dragon's breakneck pace as he approached the vicinity of the facility, scanning the area for signs of enemy activity.

"Which location should I target? From my position, I can't see anything inside those tunnels."

"Your dragon is equipped with penetrating breath weapons, correct? The energy beams should cut straight through the structure."

"Yeah, that's one of its capabilities."

"Perfect. From your current position, aim downward at approximately three o'clock from your right side. Don't worry about friendly fire; they're still a safe distance away from the impact zone."

"Understood!"

Jayce responded. The dragon's massive head began glowing with an intensifying blue energy buildup.

Then the beast dove in a descent, its jaws opening wide to unleash a column of blue-white concentrated energy.

Like the legendary breath of ancient dragons from myths and stories, the torrent of pure destructive force incinerated absolutely everything in its path.

Metal pipes and reinforced steel structural supports within the underground tunnels melted like wax.

"Ambush! Get down!"

Camille's expression hardened as the energy beam suddenly engulfed the passage directly ahead of their position, its blinding light stabbing painfully into her eyes.

She recognized the weapon signature instantly, the distinctive visual effect of advanced Hextech weaponry.

Raising her arm in a halt gesture, she immediately stopped her entire strike force. "Rear guard units move to front positions. We're reversing course immediately. Retrace our steps back the way we came. Staying inside these tunnels makes us sitting targets."

The sheer destructive force of that attack was far too overwhelming to risk. One direct hit would be fatal to anyone caught in the beam; only Camille herself with her Hextech augmentations might possibly survive the extreme temperatures.

"Move faster! Retreat back toward the entrance immediately!"

Emystan roared her own commands. She was a warlord with a fearsome reputation, there was no acceptable scenario where she would die like a trapped rat in some underground maintenance tunnel.

Piltover's subterranean maintenance passages were fortunately quite wide and well-constructed, and both the Clan Ferros' trained operatives and the Crimson Elite were soldiers with excellent discipline.

Though caught off-guard by the ambush, they didn't panic or break formation. They executed a withdrawal, retreating toward the facility's main access points.

"Jayce, keep advancing with breath attacks. Drive them out of the tunnels."

Cipher, monitoring everything through multiple feeds from his surveillance drones, observed Camille and Emystan's retreat. With a smile, he relayed instructions to Jayce, time to hunt down the fleeing enemies.

"Understood!"

Jayce acknowledged the orders, commanding his mount to sweep its breath weapon along the entire underground passage network, tearing the infrastructure apart section by section.

"What is this thing?! How can its power be so destructive?"

Emystan asked as she ran.

"Advanced Hextech technology. Most likely represents the latest weapons project of Jayce Talis himself."

Camille's voice remained calm; her body modifications had stripped away most normal human emotional responses.

"You're telling me this is Piltover's Hextech technology?"

Emystan nearly exploded with rage at this revelation. At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to personally execute the intelligence operative who had assured her Piltover and Zaun were soft targets.

And what kind of nonsense was this assessment, that both cities could easily be intimidated and conquered?

Damn it all!