The iron rhinos whose horns were glowing with concentrated lightning charged forward out of the smoke of the earlier mine explosions.
Electricity also coiled around their heavy feet and left scorched marks on the ground with every step. Half a dozen of the massive creatures slammed into the metal walls at the same moment.
The walls that had seemed so strong only minutes earlier creaked under the impact and then broke apart in large sections.
Pieces of twisted metal fell outward and inward as the rhinos pushed through the gaps they had created with pure force and lightning enhanced strength.
As the walls broke open, Shunsui saw that the lightning wyverns flying above had finished charging chakra inside their mouths.
The glowing energy reached a dangerous peak and the creatures prepared to fire. Shunsui shouted a rapid warning through the Yamanaka network. "Cover yourselves behind the towers!!"
Many of the Konoha shinobi tried to drop low or move behind the thicker metal structures yet there was not enough time for everyone.
The lightning wyverns released long torrents of pure lightning from their open mouths. The blasts struck the towers that stood closest to the broken walls and tore them apart.
The Konoha fighters who had been stationed inside those front towers were either fried by the direct lightning or crushed under the falling rubble. Their screams ended as quickly as they began.
With the outer wall breached and several towers destroyed the remaining Kumo shinobi and their beasts roared in triumph and charged through the open gaps.
The sudden success after so many losses filled them with fierce confidence. One of the kumo jonin raised his voice above the noise and shouted with open mockery. "Your walls cannot save you now Konoha shinobi! Can they?"
Another fighter added his own curse as he ran forward. "Leaf cowards! Hide behind metal all you want! We will tear every tower down and take your heads!"
More voices joined in with similar taunts and angry promises of death as the Kumo force poured into the enclosed area.
Shunsui watched the breach and the advancing enemies without panic and immediately called for the next line of defence.
"Water towers! Now!" The blue towers that represented water affinity responded at once. The shinobi inside them poured large amounts of chakra into the tower.
Thick torrents of water erupted from the towers and joined together into a sudden flood that swept across the ground near the broken walls. The flood rushed straight toward the charging beasts whose bodies were still covered in active lightning.
Everyone on the battlefield knew what happened when large amounts of electricity met open water.
The lightning that had given the beasts their power now turned against them. The current spread through the water and paralysed every creature that stood in the flood. Thunder panthers, lightning coated rhinos and even some of the lower wyverns that had landed convulsed and fell.
The smaller monsters that had been summoned by genin and chunin were simply fried to their deaths.
Many of the Kumo shinobi who had been running beside their beasts were also caught in the charged water and suffered the same fate.
The force of the flood did not stop at killing. It carried the paralysed and the dead back out through the broken section of wall and deposited them on the ground beyond the fortress.
Even after the successful counter attack a large hole still remained in the metal wall. Shunsui knew the gap would not stay empty for long.
Fresh Kumo shinobi would soon gather the courage to charge through it again. At the same time the Uchiha snipers continued their work from the higher towers.
Soft repeated sounds of their rifles kept thinning the Cloud numbers that still waited outside the original two hundred metre zone.
Of the five hundred Kumo fighters who had first approached the valley only about two hundred remained alive and able to fight. Victory felt close enough for either side to claim if they made the right moves in the next few minutes.
Shunsui decided the moment had come to play one of the strongest cards the Tower Defense game offered.
He turned toward the Gravity Tower and shouted, "Choza sensei move to the platform!" Choza heard the command and immediately abandoned the gravity tower.
He ran across the short distance to a different tower that held a raised platform marked with the symbol of a shield. The structure was known inside the game as a Hero Platform.
Whoever stood upon it received the designation of Hero and gained exclusive abilities along with a much larger pool of chakra than they normally possessed.
The moment Choza stepped onto the platform a suit of heavy knight armour formed around his large body. A broad shield appeared on one arm.
He now held the full status of Hero and the extra chakra that came with it. Seeing the sudden increase in his sensei's reserves Shunsui allowed himself a small breath of relief.
Choza felt the change and smirked. He walked straight to the front of the breached wall and began to use his new abilities without hesitation.
First he activated the Hero Taunt. A roar rolled outward from his position. Every beast that felt the effect turned away from the towers and the other Konoha shinobi and ran straight toward Choza in a single focused direction.
Wolves, boars, snakes, bears, scorpions and even some of the larger panthers charged at him as if he were the only target that existed. Some of the Kumo shinobi who were riding their new summons were also doing the same.
Choza met the first group with a Partial Expansion Jutsu that enlarged both of his arms to massive size. He swept the giant limbs through the pack and sent bodies flying in every direction.
He followed the opening by forming a series of handigns.
Earth Release: Rolling Boulder Jutsu
Large spheres of dense earth formed in front of him and then rolled forward with crushing weight. The boulders slammed into the remaining iron rhinos and cracked their metal hides. They rolled over packs of wolves and boars and left nothing but flattened remains.
When a wounded wyvern tried to rise again Choza enlarged one fist and brought it down like a hammer. The impact crushed the creature's skull and ended its threat.
Each technique flowed into the next while the Hero Taunt kept fresh beasts running toward him in straight lines that made them easy to destroy.
For a short time it seemed the breach was under control. Then a deep and powerful roar rolled across the entire valley and forced every head to turn in the same direction.
A large red figure rose into the air beyond the broken wall. Intense heat radiated from its body. Shunsui stared at the new arrival and muttered the only words that fitted the sight. "A fucking dragon and is that lava?"
The other Konoha shinobi saw the same monster and felt the same shock. One of the ones in the sniper tower spoke in a voice filled with sudden despair. "That thing is bigger than any of the wyverns. How are we supposed to stop it?"
Another fighter added his own fear while gripping the edge of his tower. "Look at the heat. The ground is melting under it. Our metal walls will not last against lava."
A third shinobi stared with wide eyes and whispered, "We were so close to winning and now this appears. What kind of game gives the enemy a dragon?" The confidence that had filled the defences only moments earlier drained away as the true size and power of the new monster became clear.
The Kumo commander of this army, Dodai, sat securely on the dragon's back between the ridges of its spine. He looked down at the damaged fortress with the calm of a man who finally held the decisive weapon.
Shunsui watched the lava dragon and the enemy commander riding it and spoke one last quiet observation. "A fucking dragon for a boss monster. I did not think this game could summon something this strong."
-------Author Notes--------
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