Book 3, Chapter 82 - Full-On Assaul (1/2)

A minute before chaos.

The elysian warships had reached their destination and the soldiers all gathered at the staging area. The Blisterpeak mountains stretched in all directions; a barren, rolling expanse inhospitable to life. If not for their guide, no one would know that the Dark Atom city was just below.

Hammont wiped the sweat collecting on his fat face. It all still felt like a dream.

Back in the Sandbar, catching one or two Dark Atom terrorists was a rare and lauded accomplishment. How many times had he imagined a day like this? Charging into the heart of the rebels with his countrymen, wiping them from the face of the earth. He looked at the faces of fellow soldiers all around him, nervously gripping their weapons, silently waiting for their moment. The intensity of the atmosphere was almost overwhelming.

One soldier thrust a long metal rod into the ground. From its apex a light pierced high toward the clouds.

The ominous haze did not dim the elysian signal, a call to war. A few minutes later the magnificent ships of the Skycloud army descended through the clouds. They were as terrifying as they were beautiful.

Each one was a work of art, like a thousand skilled craftsmen had turned a jade mountain into a masterpiece. As they slowly lowered toward the ground their construction was more easily discerned. An array of spires adorned each one. They were the core of elysian technology, and each had a different function.

Two of them were source towers. They provided the ships with an unending supply of power. Another was the defensive tower that maintained its protective shields.

Another was the attack tower. Even now as the ship sank toward them, this pylon was aglow with energy. Halos of energy pulsed from the base of the tower and rose to its apex, where it gathered at a singular point. From there it blasted outward in an effusion of pure force.

It was a blast mighty enough to split mountains and cleave the earth. Enough to level an entire city!

Many of the ships fired simultaneously. A rain of glimmering spears of light descended. Boom! Explosions rang out, the earth shook! Fissures appeared in the sides of the volcanic mountains.

Below the ground, Nucleus shook from a blow more ferocious than any it had experienced before.

The entire mountain surface was blown to pieces. Smoke rose toward the heavens in a plume, while chunks of rock the size of warships were blown across the range. Day turned to night as the sun was blotted out. Coal’s eyes were wide as he witnessed this apocalyptic scene. He couldn’t believe what he was watching, he’d been sure the city under the mountain had some way to defend itself against these devils. But the power they commanded was otherworldly. Coal’s hopes were shattered, just like the mountain.

While the pylons obliterated their target, more soldiers dropped from the ships to join those already on the ground. This was a war against their most hated foe, so Skycloud wasn’t satisfied with sending just a few thousand soldiers. A full third of the border forces had been mobilized, their best men, enough to overwhelm the Dark Atom through sheer manpower alone. With the addition of their elysian armor and weaponry, they were an invading army capable of incredible destruction.

“The mutants are useless now. Kill them.”

Brontes’ cold voice was heard through the thunderous blasts of the pylons, cold as ice.

Despair knotted Coal’s stomach. He was responsible for bringing these evil outsiders here. The abyss that faced his people was one of his making. The glint of a thousand sword glittered all around as soldiers drew their weapons, preparing to attack.

“No!” Coal screamed. A dozen swords came raining down upon him. These were strong men, the elite. The mutant’s rocky body was scarred by their vicious blows, but they also cut away much of the wire that bound him. Coal roared and struggled, calling on an inner strength he didn’t know he had. His arms burst through the bowstrings tying him down and immediately the swords that assailed him were shattered or cast away.

He landed a punch on the chest of one of the soldiers closest to him.

Sturdy metal cracked like porcelain. The force was like an explosion ripping through the interior and bits of blood and flesh oozed from the gaps. Whatever human was inside had been smashed like a ripe tomato.

Coal raced toward the members of his tribe being slaughtered. He ran through and over the soldiers in his path, a runaway meat grinder.

He punched through the forest of swords, smashing apart anything that tried to stop him. His attacks weren’t showy, and in fact were almost clumsy, but had a force born from pure rage. Riding the fury and putting faith in his impenetrable body, he charged ahead.

Drake balked at the scene. “He’s gone mad again!”

He moved in to intercept the mutant himself. The two clashed several times in the space of a few seconds. Drake managed to leave Coal with a few wounds, and Coal had knocked him back more than once. The elysian lieutenant was amazed at how a mere barbarian could grow so strong. The beast could stand still and men would tire themselves to death trying to hack through his skin.

Brontes’ chilly voice called out more commands. “Everyone, attack! Overpower him!”

If ten wasn’t enough, then they would bring a hundred. If a hundred couldn’t stop the mutant than two hundred would come! It didn’t matter how strong it was, no beast could take on the entire elysian army. It would tire eventually, it was only a matter of how many would die with it.

A white-haired man plunged from overhead with a golden sword held high. He heaved his broadsword with both hands, causing the air to whistle in protest as it swept toward his foe.

But that was an illusion.

The old man wasn’t swinging the sword, the sword was dragging the man along with it. What was a dead weapon otherwise became a living thing in this veteran’s grasp. Like a metal dragon with its teeth bared, the sword lashed at its target while its bearer clung tight to maintain control.

An attack like this with a weapon that seemed to have a mind of its own… it was definitely a master-level martial ability.

Coal’s headlong charge came to an abrupt end. Coal didn’t know much of the world, but he was no fool. He knew what sort of attack was a threat. He knew what he could handle, what he could deflect, and what he had to avoid. He stopped out of an almost instinctive reaction.

In the instant he stopped, the old warrior responded.

He missed with the edge but spun it around and slammed the flat body of his sword against Coal’s chest. Outwardly it seemed like a little slap, but the power in it knocked the giant to the ground and sent him tearing backward. A trench was left in his wake.

Aegir Polaris, commander of the border forces! Coal had never come across such a fearsome warrior. That brief contact had left the mutant with the worst internal injuries he’d ever experienced.

Coal couldn’t help but feel lost and astonished. No creature – not even Magmesa – had caused him as much pain as this human. He was almost child-like compared to Coal, his white hair a sign of advanced years, yet he handily knocked Coal down.

He was filled with a terrible sense of danger. This white-haired foreigner was a far more terrible enemy than Magmesa.

They hadn’t even really exchanged blows, but Coal already knew he was outmatched. Death was the only outcome of trying to fight him! He was the strongest living thing Coal had ever met!