236 Chapter 236: Final Assaul (2/2)
”No. They can take care of themselves. We have to hurry into the headquarters and delete the data for the device's blueprint, or none of us will be able to live peacefully again.”
With the ability to artificially trigger Emergence events at any time and any place, none of the human cities would be safe again. That was why Angelica regarded the issue so urgently. Shun Yin understood that, but…
”Don't worry,” Angelica assured him. ”They might not be mages, but they are soldiers. They won't die that easily.”
Right after she spoke, a Leonard Ruff tank bellowed, its plasma weapons vomiting blue steams of superheated energies. One of the Frenzor Assassin simply ceased to exist, despite his lightning reflexes trying to get him out of the way in time. The sheer destructive power of the plasma beams incinerated his entire body in less than a millisecond.
”See?”
”Yeah, yeah.” Shun Yin conceded, and then accompanied her run as they broke out of cover and sprinted past the furiously combating soldiers and Assassins. The death toll was staggering, and Shun Yin could see literally hundreds of corpses littering the battlefield.
One of the super-heavy tanks battered the reinforced doors, the volcanic lance from its massive turret weapon vaporizing the metal and leaving red-hot shards of molten material dripping onto the ground. Careful not to hurt himself on the still steaming edges, Shun Yin checked for enemies before hurdling into the mountain base.
”Oh, you kids got here earlier than we did!”
”Mr. Lionel!”
Shun Yin spun around at the voice. The next head of the Stuart family was strolling in, a storm of petals trailing him and his sword. As ever, his trusty bodyguard, Yuan Dao Yue Guang, was nearby, punching away Umbra Assassins that struck out from the shadows.
Lionel waved his hand, almost as if in embarrassment.
”Ditch the mister. We're all comrades here, fighting against the same enemy and trying to save the world. Anyway, Miss Angelica, you said this is the place, right?”
”That's correct.” Angelica pursed her lips as she stared into the darkness. Already she was casting a white firewall spell to defend them from a sneak attack from the shadows. In a place like this, there were plenty of places for the Umbra Assassins to hide. ”The computer mainframe should be at the back of this base. But be careful, they have laid out quite the welcoming party.”
”It doesn't matter.” Michael had joined in, with Glen following closely. ”We're going to blow all of them away. Vermillion Phoenix!”
His Soul Beast burst into existence, flooding the entire passageway with blinding illumination and crimson fire. Assassins shuffled and dove around in the dark as flames washed over their previous positions. Those unlucky enough not to be able to get away in time were incinerated, but many more remained.
”White Tiger!”
Glen's Soul Beast might not be as powerful as his cousin's but it was no less impressive. A storm of lightning filled the area they were in, not only protecting them from attacks but also electrocuting a few Assassins who had gotten too close for their own safety.
Having cleared the space for now, the two Porter mages stepped in. Behind them, platoons of infantry sprinted inside, unleashing laser bolts into the shadows and providing cover for the comrades who were following closely behind them. The first few squads dropped into position, taking up cover behind rubble caused by a combination of attacks from the super-heavy tank and the elite mages' spells, and continued firing wildly into the shadows. While the Assassins were being suppressed, the rest of the soldiers moved in before setting up in new positions to cover their comrades. In this way, they moved in a staggered manner and advanced forward.
”Ugh!”
”Medic! Healer!”
”Over here!”
”Watch out!”
Despite their disciplined advance, the soldiers were beset by Assassins from all over. They became embroiled in close-range melee, with many resorting to fixing bayonets and trying to stab the more skillful Assassins. The infantry were taking horrific losses, but the elite mages at the head of the group continued to push through.
”Over there!”
Ignoring the deaths and agony about them, Angelica plunged forward, her insider knowledge of the enemy allowing her to lead the way. However, she was forced to skid to a stop when something blasted at her. Initially, she raised a hand to cast a white firewall to halt the projectile in midair.
”?!”
Angelica skidded backward and dodged when her white firewall simply ceased to exist. Frowning at the anomaly, she glanced at the front.
”Holy f…!” Glen cursed as he caught up with her. ”Just what kind of spell is capable of punching through your Sacred Firewall spell?!”
”No, it wasn't destroyed by a spell.” Shun Yin also reached the both of them, his sword raised grimly as he scanned for the enemy.
”You have sharp eyes, Shun Yin.” Angelica nodded as she also kept an eye out for her assailant. ”Rather than penetrate my Sacred Firewall, that spell…reversed time…it rewound my spell to a time when I hadn't cast it yet.”
”Time magic? Just who is capable of casting such a spell?” Lionel wondered out loud.
”…we're about to find out,” Angelica murmured as two figures emerged from the shadows to face them.