Volume 5 – Chapter 14 (in-editing v2)

Volume 5 – Chapter 14

Volume 5 – Chapter 14

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Near the center of Axellion City, two streets off Axellion’s Central Road, was a large, enclosed courtyard roughly 40 meters wide, connected to four three-story tall stone buildings. The buildings were stark and unadorned, save for the large water storage units located atop each rooftop.

Several humans, clad in plain outfits of grey and black, could be seen, rushing between buildings, ducking away from the ongoing downpour.

The compound, formerly a barracks used by the now defunct Blue Wing Knight Company, now operated as the headquarters for the Knights of the Round Table – code named: ‘Camelot.'

In the center of one of the four corner buildings was a large meeting hall. The room was sparsely decorated, with a large, circular table standing in the middle, covered in maps, graphs, and papers covered in various writings. The table was occupied by several men and women dressed in grey garments, an unassuming uniform assigned to all the humans that worked behind the scenes to keep the Knights of the Round Table functioning.

“Report.” A figure sitting at the north end of the round table spoke, his hoarse voice cutting off everyone else present.

“Aaron is closing in fast, he’s broken his speed record, followed closely by the Duke. ETA 15 and 17. The rest of the Knights are maintaining retreat protocol.” A pale woman stepped forward, dressed in a mix of grey leathers and metal plate.

Ray Handsworth, a Canadian, and the woman officially in charge of communications for the Round Table. While not ostensibly a Knight by Void Noble standards, she was a First Waver who had taken several Abilities centered around long-distance information exchange and a capable warrior in her own right.

“Albaz Company is forming a guard contingent alongside the Inner Sea Mages at the forefront of the Southern Reservoir.”

Yama’s original body spat out a wad of blood as he winced, forcing his trembling hands to still. The sheer exertion of manipulating so many disparate Clones, maintaining countless different frames of reference, was extremely taxing.

He was processing every single line-of-sight, every decision, every action his Clones took all simultaneously. It was an immense undertaking.

‘Of course they are. Sucking up to the Magi while the civilians bleed.’ Yama kept the dark thought to himself. No point in demoralizing his crew.

There were dozens of Free Companies that operated out of Axellion, but only a handful of them were strong enough to actually matter when it came to the apocalyptic incursions wrought by an Apex Void Predator.

Albaz Company was one such company - a group of elite Knights formed in the backdrop of Contrasz von Atlas, the secondborn son of Duke Atlas. The secondborn was currently vying for the position of heir with the Duke’s firstborn, Beareth von Atlas, who commanded the Rosare Company.

A loud, shuddering quake shook the room, setting the table to rattling.

“The Apex just hit the reservoir team!” One of the aides shouted out.

“Shields are falling fast!”

‘If only Jess was here.’ Yama winced despite himself.

Jessica Wiles, the ‘Blizzard Knight’, and 3rd-in-Command, was out assisting Aaron on their cooperative mission, alongside the rest of the Round Table’s strongest knights. The enormous walls of ice she could raise had the same consistency and density as solid steel. She was far better suited to playing defense than he was.

“Support team, reinforcing!”

Three men and one woman, their garments soaking wet due to the storm, rushed inside the meeting room with a yell. Almost immediately, the three men activated multiple healing Abilities targeting Yama, while the woman utilized an energizing Ability that began to refresh the 2nd-in-Command’s energy reserves.

“Have Triage teams #2 and #3 shift to the back end of the Southern Reservoir. Prioritize evacuation of the civilians.” Yama barked out orders.

With every order, Ray’s eyes glowed as she activated her Limited Type Ability: Space Messenger. Immediately, glowing symbols appeared floating in the air, before flashing away, teleporting to a set of pre-established individuals in the chain of communication laid down by the Round Table. 

“Alright. I’m taking it’s attention from-“ Yama stuttered, coming to a halt.

“Commander?” Ray questioned, her eyebrows raised in a silent question.

“…Someone else is distracting the Apex. I’m shifting forward to assist them. Keep the Triage teams where they are.” Yama responded after a brief pause.

“Understood. Is it Albaz Company? The Inner Sea Mages?” Ray fired back as she passed on instructions to the evacuation teams currently assisting the civilians impacted by the attack.

“No…” Yama frowned.

“It’s… a human, not one of ours. A male human I don’t recognize is distracting the Apex. And the Duke’s daughter is helping him.”

“…”

“What?”

.. .. .. .. .. ..

The enormous Apex shuddered as it twisted its body, spinning around in a brutal pattern. Chunks of rock, lava, and bits of buildings were flung into the air as it twirled, thrashing in the storm.

“We can’t get too close to it!” Micheal yelled as he leapt from one rooftop to another, his Ki enhancing his muscles with every step, followed closely behind by the floating Void Noble he had just met.

His eyes widened slightly as he leapt backwards, just in time for a 4-meters-wide boulder to fly past, narrowly missing him. The burst of wind accompanied by the giant rock cast the rain away for a few moments, giving Micheal a clear view of the surrounding area.

“You good?” In the split second he had to dodge, Micheal had looped an arm around Vesper’s waist and pulled her backwards, dragging her out of the path of the boulder, all while keeping his focus on the enormous Apex in front of him.

“Exquisite.” Vesper replied primly, smiling as Micheal let go of her waist.

“I know your father can create large gravity fields. Can you do the same?” Micheal asked, holding back a wince.

By this point, the Apex had wandered far enough inland that Micheal could, with his Ki-enhanced senses, now pick up the sights and sounds of various Void Natives still scrambling to evacuate.

“Help! Please help!”

“Rella! Come to me-“

“Move, ye fools!”

“Arrrgh!”

“Sierra, Sierra can you hear me!”

The deluge of voices was barely audible through the storm, but just loud enough to remind him how urgent this battle was.

“I can form a localized field, but not at the same scale.” Vesper shook her head.

“Only an Archmage can-“

Micheal held up a hand, interrupting her. In the same moment, his Mana Blade casually swatted away a chunk of rock that would’ve otherwise impaled him.

“Sorry, but we’ve no time. Localized field, okay – exactly how big?” Micheal motioned with his free hand, aimed towards the Apex, while speaking quickly.

“About a quarter as big as him.” Vesper replied cheerfully, not the slightest bit put off by Micheal’s abruptness, as she pointed at the Apex.

“Can you make it loop at its feet?” He continued.

“Sure.” She nodded quickly back.  

“Do it!”

.. .. .. .. .. .. ..

“…”

Yama was at a loss for words.

The Command Room shook as the world trembled around them, a rough, shuddering quake rattling the room. A few aides tripped as the floor shifted from under them, though the rest of the room’s inhabitants managed to hold their footing.

“Commander?” Ray Handsworth questioned.

“It tripped.” Yama grunted, trying to ignore all the energy glowing around him.

The support teams were great at keeping his Mana Heart full, but the damnable glow from their Ability use was incredibly irritating. They would need to work on that.

“The Apex?!” Ray sputtered.

Yama ignored her as he replied,

“I’m engaging!”

.. .. .. .. .. ..

14 minutes and 13 seconds.

That was the amount of time that had passed, yet for Micheal it felt like an entire lifetime.

'And I would know about that.' He thought sourly to himself, before dismissing the thought as he refocused.

“There! Move!” Micheal sprinted to the side, dragging Vesper along with him as they dodged to the right. A split second later, an enormous, black tail slammed into the abandoned townhome they had stood upon, crushed into smithereens.

“Keep it off balance!”

As he set Vesper down, landing in the middle of one of Axellion’s main streets, he eyed the scene before him.

Amidst the ruins of dozens of buildings lay a squirming, wroth Apex Void Predator. The enormous creature roared ineffectually as it lashed out with its tail, trying and failing to hit Micheal and Vesper, the current source of its ire. A haze of stone dust and dirt clouded the air, making visibility difficult.

As the enormous, lumbering brute tried to stand up, Vesper’s eyes glowed blue as she began to chant.

A moment later, the huge creature’s legs began to slip as a clever application of Magic twisted the gravity out from underneath it. The Apex tried to steady itself, but before it could, an enormous bullet slammed into its leg with just enough force to keep it destabilized, forcing it to fall once more.

‘Nice shots, Shin!’ Micheal resisted the urge to look up, keeping his attention on the Apex's dangerous tail. The creature had become more cagey after he injured it, only striking with its uninjured side facing them. This made its attacks slower, more predictable, but also made it harder to take advantage of its injured state.

“I can’t do this much longer.” Vesper’s voice was husky as she leaned against Micheal, sweat dripping down her dainty forehead.

“BURN DAMN YOU!” Several burning clones of magma flung themselves upon the downed Apex, further dragging the enormous creature down as it struggled to stand.

Between Yama’s Clones of molten lava, Shin’s sniping from above, Vesper’s gravity fields, and Micheal’s own contributions, they had managed to hold the Apex Predator for close to 15 minutes at its current location...

But they hadn't managed to truly put it down.

The only injury it had suffered was from Micheal's original attack, when he had first engaged.

‘This is my limit without using the crown.’ Micheal could feel the exhaustion pinging at him, yet, he still couldn’t bring himself to use the Artifact. It was his only answer to an ambush by the Titled Deity he knew was hunting him. It was an object of last resort.

Micheal’s frayed nerves had him abruptly spinning to his left, almost lashing out before he caught himself, as a figure leapt down, landing on the street beside him.

“Your aid is greatly welcome.” One of Yama’s clones had broken off for the first time, coming to greet them.

Throughout the fight, Micheal and Yama had shared a form of unseen communication, tagging in and out to keep the Apex off-kilter, whenever Shin or Vesper’s efforts weren’t enough.

Functionally, they were the only ones keeping the Apex at bay – the entire rest of the defense force had proven ineffectual. The Guardsmen were unable to get near the Apex without dying, while the other Knight companies that had showed up were helping with the evacuation efforts. A few Mages from the Inner Sea Mages association had attempted to assist, but the only other 4th Circle Mage present was Dunkore, and he was holed up at the Southern Reservoir, refusing to move forward.

Wizards below the 4th Circle simply couldn’t manifest Magic powerful enough to matter against an Apex, especially not at range. Micheal couldn't really blame them, either - who would want to get near a raging Apex? For most people, that meant almost certain death.

“It’s good to see a fellow human fighting the good fight.” Yama continued, giving Micheal a warm smile.

“Do we need to press forward?” Micheal paused, his eyes narrowing. The Yama he knew would never be so lax in the middle of battle… unless…

“That won’t be necessary.” Yama grin widened, becoming a bloody rictus as he glared at the Apex.

“Reinforcements have arrived.”  

.. .. .. .. .. ..

In the sky above, as the storm clouds the Apex had summoned fell away, Shin’s hands trembled as he floated in the still air.

‘Lava Man has it covered. I can take a moment.’ Shin forced himself to breathe in and out.

The repeated use of his Expand Ability, over and over, to enhance the size of the bullets he fired, had left him a sweaty mess.

The only reason he was still standing, or well, still floating, was thanks to his Conceptual Power. He drew heavily upon his Strength, not diving all in like he did with his Super Strength mode, but rather, dipping only slightly, to boost his stamina.

Despite that, it was a grueling effort, providing support from the sky above while using his Neo-Levitation Bracers to stay airborne.

‘Nothing hurts this frickin kaiju.’ Micheal really hadn’t undersold how damn near invincible these monsters were.

“Do I need to shift positions or-“ And it was here, in mid thought, that Shin jerked his head to the left as a new arrival appeared in the sky not far from him.

Accompanied by an enormous gust of wind that smashed into Shin and sent him careening backwards was…

A man.

A human, with dark red hair, dressed in gleaming white amor. He had a fluttering red cape that flowed out behind him and a fierce look upon his face as he came to an abrupt halt, laser-focused on the scene down below. There was an easy air about him that Shin noticed, an aura from the way he carried himself, that inspired confidence just by looking at him.

As Shin managed to stabilize and catch himself in the air, he could just barely hear a few words the new arrival spoke.

“Vector Field.” The words echoed quietly in the air around the red-haired man as he raised his right hand, summoning a metal orb that began to float.

“Directed Force.” As he spoke, his right pointer finger lightly tapped the metal orb.  

Immediately, it began to glow.

“…”

For a brief moment, it almost felt like the world stood still. Shin could feel his pulse throbbing within him as the world around him seemed to shrink, ever so slightly, just for an instant.

And then…

“Lightspeed.”

The world burned.

.