Beijing did not fall.
Though the skies cracked and fire rained. Though beasts clawed through its perimeter and missiles cratered its surface, it did not fall.
It bled.
It burned.
But it endured.
The capital's defensive matrix, after countless last minute efforts to defuse the mana pools, was still at a relatively high 50% functionality.
It was able to hold back the worst of the beast wave. Powerful spells shone like dying stars across the city's airspace.
Towers overloaded, sparking wildly. Arcane shields flickered in and out like desperate breaths, but they remained.
And the defenders made every second count.
Hundreds of elite units surged through the inner districts. Mana Awakened strike teams leapt from rooftop to rooftop, launching spells from elevated positions.
Every mecha, from cutting edge 6th gens armed with proton cannons to practice mechas armed with only steel rods, marched like titans between the buildings, flattening charging beasts beneath titanium feet.
