87 Final Battle Begins (1/2)
The Governor's forced marched forward steadily. Three white-robed espers stood in front of the army. Together, they created a large barrier, blocking all of Harmony's cannon fire. There were at least 300 more espers mixed into the Governor's army. Harmony was clearly at a large disadvantage.
The Harmony forces were positioned just outside the city, much to the confusion of the enemy. Normally it would make more sense for them to defend from within the city walls. The 80,000 Harmony soldiers waited patiently, not daring to rush in before the orders had been given. The Governor's forces grew closer and closer, until the Harmony forces were within firing range.
”Now!” Ed yelled as he waved his hand downwards. The ground beneath the Governor's forces trembled as roughly 150 chimeras jumped up from underground. Each one was covered in scales of different colors. They formed groups of three or four as they attacked, throwing the enemy ranks into chaos.
A platoon flew overhead, exiting the city. It consisted of the superhuman soldiers with artificial mana-battery limbs. They released long trails of flames, scorching the ground beneath them as they flew forward. The three barrier espers at the front died almost instantly. Dozens of espers in the Governor's forces flew into the skies, preparing to intercept the superhumans.
This was the cue for Harmony's ordinary soldiers. ”ARAHHH!!!” They rushed forward, slamming into the enemy forces as they fired. There were now three battles taking place. The frontline, the battle for air superiority, and the 150 chimeras fighting within enemy ranks.
”YEE-HAW!” Ash yelled as he jumped into the sky. He folded his hands and knees inwards as his body was covered in fire. He crashed into the enemy forces like a cannonball, sending flames in all directions as a result. A stealthy soldier survived and tried to sneakily stab Ash in the back, but Ochre was there to block the attack. Ochre's fist was covered in a sharp rocky spike. He stabbed it forward, killing the stealthy soldier.
The fight was going well, but Harmony was rapidly losing forces. They were simply too outmatched. Especially in number of espers, where they were being completely dominated. Ochre and Ash were barely capable of holding down a couple each. Terra was busy hiding in the tunnels to support the troops plans to fall back. Ray had been fixed up by Ed and was supporting the superhumans in the sky.
Ed glanced to his side, staring at Husky who was trembling as he watched the battle. ”Aren't you going to fight?” He questioned.
Husky's eyes widened in fear as he gulped down his saliva. He forced himself to nod. ”I'll help Ray.” His body transformed rapidly as his muscles grew in size and his fat vanished. Strong blasts of wind shot from his feet as he propelled himself into the sky like a rocket. The wind whooshed past him as he slammed a fist into a fire-esper in the sky, instantly killing the man. Ray seemed relieved at the newfound help.
Dupe and Rupert stood next to Ed atop the city walls, watching the war with serious faces.
”The cruelty of man knows no bounds.” Rupert sighed as he slouched down against an ammunition crate. He pulled out a silver flask and began chugging down the contents, wishing to be far away from here.
Dupe glanced briefly at the man before turning to Ed. ”Isn't it about time you call them back in?”
”Not yet.” Ed shook his head. ”Not until we win air superiority. It doesn't matter if we take the ground if they maintain the skies. Their flying espers would interfere with my fight and plans against the governor.”
”Why not fly out there and help speed things up then?” He replied.
”Because I'd potentially be walking into a trap of the Governor's. Who knows what espers with strange powers he's hiding within the enemy ranks. Best to stay within the areas I'm fully in control of and know everything about.”
”If you say so...” Dupe responded before turning back to the battle. His expression remained serious, but a glint of enjoying the show could be seen within his eyes.
Back on the battlefield. The superhumans were losing many men but were also winning the fight. Nearly half of the enemy's flying espers had perished, leaving only a couple dozen remaining. Plasma and Husky were both particularly good at air battles, giving them a large edge in the fight.
Suddenly, a loud voice shouted towards the superhumans. ”DIE!” A white smoke rose towards them, instantly annihilating their bodies. Nearly half of the super humans died instantly, dwindling their forces to well below 100.
”Bastard!” Ray yelled in anger as he recognized the smoky esper. It was the old man from the battle of Fort Myers just a few days ago.
”I trust you've treated my coward of a son well?” The old man smiled as he folded his arms together. ”I won't let you run away from me again.” He said arrogantly, a smug look on his face.
”You think I can't beat you?” Ray smirked. ”Last time was different. I was in a rush and was surrounded by enemy forces. You don't stand a chance against me.”
”RAY!” Husky yelled as he avoided a bolt of lightning from an enemy esper. ”Is now really the time to be having a conversation?! I could really use some help over here!”
”I'm busy.” He replied as the silver plasma covering his body grew thicker. He charged forward, orbs of plasma swirling around his body and firing towards the smoky esper.
”Humph.” The old man snorted in disdain. His body disappeared into a cloud of smoke, seeking to surround his opponent. Occasionally the smoke would reform into a fist or leg, releasing attacks towards Ray.
Ray calmly kept his distance from the smoke, preventing it from surrounding him. His plasma continued firing into the cloud, but he failed to do any damage. The plasma simply shot straight through it and flew into the distance, accomplishing nothing each time. ”Damn!” He ground his teeth in frustration, looking for a way to break the stalemate.
”DAMNIT RAY!” Husky shouted as he blasted over, large gusts of wind surrounding his body. He pulled his fist back as far as he could and threw it forward with all his might. A large tornado of wind ripped through the smoke, tearing it in two. Half of the smoke quickly vanished as it separated from the smoky esper's body.
Ray's eyes widened in a mixture of surprise and shock. He glanced back at the superhumans and saw them struggling against the remaining espers. He turned towards Husky. ”You're clearly a better matchup for this guy than me. I'll leave it to you.” He left a trail of plasma in his wake as he blasted towards the superhumans, preparing to help them some more.
”Ugh!” Husky's face contorted after being abandoned. He didn't like to fight. He only agreed to do so since his friends were on the battlefield. Swallowing down the bitterness, he rushed forward. Wind cleared away more and more of the smoke, soon revealing the smoky esper's body.