The battle was already lost when the first ship opened fire.

Fireballs flew through the air. Raining splinters and dying screams indicated successful hits. The defending boats fought back valiantly… but their enemy overpowered them.

This fleet was nothing the archipelago had ever seen before. Their massive size should have caused an immediate surrender. Their imposing green sails held the mark of a shield; shattered to a hundred pieces. This armada had faced many foes, and this one was no different. They had all fallen under their mighty wrath.

The lead attacking ship sailed towards the opposing leader as catapults flung their ammo. The defending ships fired back, only to discover a hidden surprise their enemy had in store.

Green flashes glinted from the attacking fleet, indicating something that were no catapults. Seconds afterward, green fireballs plowed through their hulls, obliterating a number of them.

The lead invader charged right at the commanding lead ship, its battering ram slamming into its starboard side. The sheer force almost tore the ship in two but instead made the crew and captain tumble to the deck.

"Boarders incoming!" someone yelled as the crew braced for contact. No sooner had he announced that, a thrown spear punctured his skull and sent him to Valhalla. The captain whirled to face the armored intruders as they roared and stormed the ship. Some engaged his crew, who attempted to fight back with swords, shields, axes and everything in between.

But resistance was futile to them. After a brutal massacre of impalements, beheadings, cutting off limbs and precise strikes, the entirety of the crew lay dead. A few of them dropped their weapons and fearfully put their arms in the air…

…but the invaders refused to take prisoners.

The captain raised his sword, determined to take a final stand…

"Hold."

The enemy soldiers moved aside at the sound of the voice. They lowered their stances as their leader stepped forth. The captain's eyes widened on sight of him. He wore green and black armor with the same shattered shield symbol on his chest. A cape flowed behind him as his green eye examined the ship's captain. Eye, because half his face was hidden beneath half a mask. One soldier, a captain due to his high-ranking armor, addressed him.

"Orders, admiral?"

The leader turned and spoke, his voice made more menacing from his mask. "Pull your troops out, captain. This one is mine. Show no mercy to the rest of them."

"Yes sir. All of you, with me!"

The ship's captain stood with sword drawn. With a yell, he charged the admiral. Ready for him, the half-masked man flung his cape right over the man's head. Shrugging it off, the captain lunged only for the admiral to block with his own blade. The two clashed repeatedly, but the captain couldn't find an opening. His opponent was just too good.

The man's arm connected with his chin, sending him flying across the ship and landing near the stern. His helmet was now lying on the deck and his sword had been knocked from his grip. He reached out for it, only for the half-masked man to stomp down hard on his chest. The captain cried out as the man stared him down.

"You will lead me to Berk…" the man spoke atrociously. "…Hooligan."

"Berk is dead!" the captain shouted weakly. "You will find nothing there!"

The enemy leader's sword was now near his heart. "You know what I mean. Not that Berk."

"What could you possibly want from it?" he croaked. "Do you even know who you're going to answer to?"

"I know exactly who I will encounter." The tall man replied. "But it will be him who will answer to me."

"I'm sure you've heard stories! The Chief cannot be defeated! He has defeated all who…"

"He has faced nothing like me." The man threatened. "And when I have him on his knees, I will tear the location of the Hidden World from his pathetic mind. And the dragons will be no more, as I will succeed where Drago and Grimmel have failed."

"Berk will stop you." The doomed captain croaked. "They've always risen victorious against people like you…" He spat the next words out like a curse. "…dragon hunter."

"How can they possibly wish to stop me?" the man taunted. "Their most faithful companions have abandoned them. They are weak and vulnerable. I have trained my armada for the very moments that follow, and I have waited for decades from the very corners of the archipelago. Berk will fall, the Chief will die, and the dragons will be mine. But I am no hunter who kills for entertainment. Haddock has indeed changed the world… and now it is my turn to show him that dragons are a plague. One that must be cured."

Grabbing the captain's shirt collar, the man hoisted him up so that they were eye-to-eye. "Many have tried to destroy my fleet, and they have failed." He boasted. "I have conquered many islands, and my fleet has decimated every single attempt at their attempts to defend their lands. No matter how strong they are, my fleet always prevails. That is why we call it…" he narrowed his eye. "…the Shieldbreaker. We are undefeated… and I do not want to know the meaning of the term 'failure'."

"You're wrong." The captain growled. "Even without their dragons, the Riders are still heroes of this archipelago. No one can bring them down for good."

"Hmm…" the half-masked man raised a brow before scowling. "Let us see." And with that, he drove his blade right through the captain's heart. As he lay dying, the admiral of the Shieldbreaker armada turned to his fleet of ships. Not a single one had sunk beneath the waves. Good.

Returning to the fleet's lead ship, he stared out to the horizon. At this rate, Berk's day of reckoning was sure to come. The Hidden World would soon be found… and the dragons would be finally gone…