The resounding clamor of Zekhtau’s advancing army echoed across the battlefield. The precision and discipline of their movements struck fear deep into the hearts of all who watched, like the tolling of a bell forewarning an unstoppable catastrophe. Each team member took their assigned positions according to the plan, but the air felt unnaturally cold—not from the weather, but from the creeping dread seeping into their minds.
“They’re here…” Uncle Pong whispered, his voice barely audible, as though fearing the enemy might overhear him. He clutched a barrel of oil tightly before hurling it into the path of the approaching machines. The barrel hit the ground with a loud thud, and in an instant, a laser beam from the vanguard struck it. Flames erupted with a thunderous roar, the oil splashing in all directions. Fire spread quickly, its vivid orange glow reflected in the lifeless eyes of the advancing robots.
Yet they did not stop. The robots engulfed in flames marched forward, indifferent to the inferno consuming them. Some fell, their outer shells melting into grotesque shapes, the sound of metal grinding against the ground echoing through the chaos. But the rest continued, relentless and unyielding, like a machine with no concept of fear or pain.
“Fall back faster!” Akira commanded, his voice sharp and resolute, though his pounding heart betrayed the immense pressure he felt. He tried to maintain control of the situation as the enemy pressed forward. The maze they had constructed slowed the robots somewhat, but their speed and coordination remained terrifying.
“Our plan is still working…” Akira thought to himself, his eyes darting to the smaller robots, some of which had stalled due to overheating from the intense heat. But this glimmer of hope was short-lived.
At the center of the chaos, Zekhtau stood motionless for a moment before taking a deliberate step forward. He exhaled deeply, his voice booming like thunder across the battlefield. “I gave you a chance to impress me, and this is all you’ve got? Osiris, you’ve disappointed me beyond words.”
The sheer disdain and icy condescension in his tone struck Akira like a hammer to the chest. His hands trembled slightly as he gripped his sword tighter. This wasn’t just any adversary—they were facing a foe of unparalleled power.
Zekhtau’s movements were deliberate and terrifying. The halberd in his hand emitted a faint glow, like a slumbering beast awakened. With a single swing, he sliced through a massive building as if it were made of paper. The structure collapsed with a deafening crash, dust and debris billowing into the air. He didn’t spare a glance at the ruins or the remnants of his forces crushed beneath them.
“Adjust the plan!” Akira shouted, his voice carrying urgency. He issued orders to alter their defensive strategy. Flames erupted in Zekhtau’s path as they ignited more barrels, hoping to stall his advance. But the inferno seemed like little more than a mild inconvenience to him. He strode through the flames as if walking through a morning mist.
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While the fire wreaked havoc on the remaining soldiers and robots, Zekhtau emerged unscathed. His towering figure stood amidst the destruction, his glowing red eyes locking onto Akira. They seemed to convey a message: No plan of yours can stop me.
Akira tightened his grip on his sword, the weight of the situation pressing down on him like a tidal wave. Nothing was going according to plan.
Zekhtau advanced steadily, exuding an oppressive aura like a gathering storm. The battlefield fell into an eerie silence. No sound of marching robots, no gunfire—only the faint, shallow breaths of those too afraid to breathe audibly.
“Hold the firestorm, Mirelle! That’s not for him,” Akira ordered through the communicator, his tone steady yet strained. “Save it for the remaining soldiers when they cluster together. As for Zekhtau… I’ll face him with Draco and Elina.”
The three stepped forward to confront the towering menace. Yue stood atop the high wall, her small frame dwarfed by the massive figure below. Zekhtau’s imposing presence radiated an aura of invincibility. His glowing red eyes swept over the group—not with the gaze of an enemy recognizing a worthy opponent, but with the contemptuous glare of a predator surveying insignificant prey.
“Is that you, Elina?” Zekhtau’s voice rumbled, low and deliberate, like the growl of a beast. “You’ve grown… You shouldn’t be here. I don’t wish to harm you.”
“If you had no intention of taking Osiris, we wouldn’t be fighting!” Elina retorted, her voice trembling slightly, but her determination was unshaken.
Zekhtau chuckled, a cold and mocking sound. “Taking? Who’s taking whom? Wasn’t it you who stoleher from me? Osiris is mine! I’m merely reclaiming what belongs to me. Why should that concern you?”
“What you’re doing is wrong! It goes against everything you once stood for!” Elina’s voice rose, her eyes filled with pain. “You used to protect nature, but now look at you!”
Zekhtau’s laughter grew louder, more menacing. “Nature? That weak, outdated concept? I abandoned it the day it failed me! NSAI, the very thing you all revered, destroyed everything—my ideals, your family… my best friend!”
His laughter turned into a bestial roar. “The pain and hatred I’ve carried for so long… will be unleashed here and now!” Raising his halberd in one hand, crimson energy swirled around him like a blazing cyclone. In a flash, he charged straight at Elina.
“Elina!” Akira shouted, but too late. Zekhtau’s lance slammed against her shield with such force that she was hurled backward, the impact shaking the very ground.
Draco let out a furious cry and lunged forward, hoping to land a strike, but Zekhtau sidestepped with ease. “Too slow, boy!” he sneered, twisting around to drive the blunt end of his halberd into Draco’s midsection. The blow sent him crashing into a pile of bricks, shattering them into debris.
Seizing the momentary gap Zekhtau had left open, Akira raced in from behind, aiming for a weak point. Yet Zekhtau seemed to anticipate his every move. One powerful hind leg shot out and kicked Akira with a force that flung him through the air like a rag doll. The echo of his body hitting the ground resounded ominously.
On the wall above, Yue cried out, readying a healing spell for Akira. But he raised his sword instead, pointing it toward Elina, who lay injured some distance away. Yue bit her lip—she understood at once what he meant.
Zekhtau advanced unhurriedly, reaching the main gate where the soldiers stood their ground. His lance glowed like molten metal, searingly hot. He swung with staggering power, cleaving the reinforced gate in two. Flames still hissed and crackled where the red-hot lance had cut.
Elina, recovering just in time, raised a protective barrier to deflect his next attack. But Zekhtau’s follow-up strike was so tremendous that the roof above the gateway collapsed. Yue’s scream pierced the air from a nearby wall. Everyone was gravely wounded, and it seemed all hope was fading.
“Do you really think you can stop me at close range?” Zekhtau’s voice was as cold as a winter gale. “All you’re doing… is marching headlong to your own deaths!”
Despair seemed to emanate from every inch of Zekhtau’s surroundings. He was no ordinary foe, but a raging tempest threatening to obliterate everything in its path.