Chapter 52 - New Firearms
Manuel’s roar echoed throughout the battlefield and instantly attracted every Randoc and Gagaleon’s attention. They snapped their heads at Manuel and snarled at it as though viewing it as the most dangerous being on the battlefield.
Facing the beasts’ glaring hostility, Manuel just chuckled as the servos in its arms whirred and its sensors locked onto the approaching beasts.
Slamming its hammer into the ground, it bellowed out, “Dual Beast Assault!”
A lizard and a wolf’s head conjured behind Manuel and roared out loud before charging at the horde of monsters and exploding, forming a huge shockwave!
All of the monsters near Manuel were decimated to a crisp, while those slightly farther away were stunned and charred, arcs of electricity dancing around their bodies.
Lucas, meanwhile, snapped his fingers and ordered, “Go. Shoot them down.”
At his command, every mechanical soldier on the field immediately beelined toward the Randocs and Gagaleons, shooting them down ruthlessly.
On the other hand, after the initial
A wave of fire erupted from her spear, engulfing a group of charging Gagaleons! Their pained howls pierced the air as they were reduced to charred husks.
The Malekiths tried to hold their own, but they were clearly outmatched. Rayan fired arrow after arrow, but they barely scratched the beasts’ thick hides. Another Malekith desperately swung his twin daggers at a Gagaleon, only for the beast to swat him away like an insect.
Chloe noticed and frowned, “These Malekiths are struggling too much.” She flicked her sword and rushed to the Malekiths.
Her sword hummed through the air, slashing into a Randoc’s head. Yanking her sword out, she assumed a stance as purplish-blue energy coiled around her blade, then stabbed out!
“Dover-style, Rend.”
The sword energy pierced through three Randocs that happened to stand in a row. The ground trembled as the beasts howled in pain, their bodies torn apart. But before the dust could settle, the red portal suddenly shook, its swirling energy growing unstable.
Cracks of crimson lightning arced around its edges.
Chloe frowned and questioned a nearby female Malekith, “Hey, greasy pig! What’s going on?”
“Gr-!” When the Malekith was about to retort the slur, she was stunned by Chloe’s cold gaze and hurriedly answered, “T-The Boss is coming out.”
“Boss?” Chloe pressed. “Any way to stop it?!”
But before the Malekith could respond, she was interrupted.
A low, chilling roar echoed from within, shaking the ground beneath them. The air became thick with the scent of blood and sulfur. Something massive was trying to push through!
From the trembling red portal, a giant beast slowly emerged. Its sheer presence suffocated the battlefield, even Lucas frowned at it.
First came its front legs, claws scraping against the ground, leaving deep scorch marks in their wake. Then its head pushed through, with no eyes to speak of, only a gaping maw filled with jagged teeth. Its nostrils flared, sniffing the air as if searching for prey by scent alone.
A growl rumbled from its throat, vibrating the very air. Then, without warning, the beast opened its massive maw wide. A searing ball of fire rapidly condensed within its mouth, the heat distorting the space around it.
Before its entire body had even fully emerged from the portal, it unleashed the fiery sphere with a deafening roar!
The fiery sphere, akin to a miniature sun, streaked across the battlefield, illuminating the blood-soaked ground in its blinding glow. The air sizzled, and waves of heat washed over them like a scorching tide.
Lucas frowned and ordered, “Chloe, Samantha, get behind me.”
Then, he snapped his fingers. A translucent blue dome materialized around the trio.
Meanwhile, Manuel and several mechanical soldiers planted their feet firmly into the ground, their servos whirring as they raised their shields in perfect synchronization. A shimmering blue wall extended from their interlocking defenses, forming a huge barrier.
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The surviving Malekiths’ faces twisted with fear as they scurried behind Manuel, desperately seeking refuge.
Then, the fireball struck!
A thunderous explosion erupted upon impact, engulfing everything in a blinding storm of flames. The shockwave blasted outward, uprooting chunks of scorched earth and hurling debris into the sky. The temperature soared, warping the very air as tongues of fire lashed against their barriers.
“This is hot,” Lucas muttered as he watched the flames gush against his barrier.
“Level 50?” Chloe suddenly asked.
Samantha shrugged. “Might even be sixties.”
“Come on, is this the time for chatting?” Lucas was speechless at the girls’ casual talk amidst the burning inferno.
Chloe slapped his shoulder and said, “Give us a break! It's tiring to fight all day, you know!”
“Yeah,” Samantha quipped. “We’re always out fighting while you’re sitting in an air-conditioned room all day long.”
“Hey, why are the Malekiths so weak though?” Chloe asked again.
Samantha replied, “You’re right, they’re just using bows and daggers. I thought dark elves were supposed to use, you know, black magic, I guess? Any idea, Lucas?”
“Me neither. Should we just ask for their Levels?” he suggested.
“Why not?” Chloe agreed.
Seconds flew by swiftly while the trio chatted inside the dome, engulfed by the flames.
Then, as abruptly as it began, the flames started to subside. The fireball dispersed, leaving behind scorched terrain and smoldering embers. The battlefield was eerily silent for a moment, only the crackling of burnt ground remained.
But before anyone could celebrate their survival, another growl echoed through the smoke. Once the smoke settled, Lucas and the others finally had the opportunity to take a close look at the giant monster.
From within the lingering embers, the beast finally stepped out of the portal, its full form revealed. Its massive body was covered in writhing tendrils, each pulsing with molten energy. Its front legs were wreathed in flames. The very ground beneath its feet blackened and cracked as it moved, heat radiating off its body.
When the giant beast saw the two-legged creatures were still standing behind a blue barrier, it roared in anger and slammed its paw into the ground. The ground split apart as a crack with molten lava gushing out rushed at where Manuel and the Malekiths were.
Deactivating the shield, Manuel and the mechanical soldiers leaped away from the crack. So did the Malekiths. Although their attacks were ineffective, at least they weee somewhat quick on their feet.
“Alright, my turn then.” Seeing that his machineries were fine, Lucas murmured, “Jager, give it a bang.”
Jager’s voice echoed in his helmet, “Affirmative, sir.”
From afar, where the truck had retreated, Jager stood on the truck’s roof, surrounded by countless turrets. Its red lens flickered as its vision zoomed in, a targeting reticle flashing across its interface, locking onto the giant beast.
Unlike conventional turrets, these had barrels that housed dual electromagnetic rails running parallel to one another. Embedded within these rails were high-density superconducting coils, pulsing faintly with stored energy.
Upon receiving his master’s order, Jager operated the turrets. The turrets whirred as arcs of electricity crackled along their barrels. Then, with a deafening hum, they fired, launching elongated projectiles at the distant beast.
The projectiles tore through the air at hypersonic speeds, leaving behind faint trails of gas. The force of their acceleration distorted the air itself, and within a fraction of a second…
BOOM!
The first projectile struck the beast’s torso. A shockwave rippled outward as a gaping hole was punched clean through its flesh.
BOOM!
Then, a second projectile tore through the air, piercing its massive tail.
BOOM!
A third shot came, screeching across the battlefield and slamming into the beast’s side.
Before the beast could understand what had happened or where the attacks came from, a fourth and fifth projectile followed, each impact sending bursts of flesh and ichor spraying across the ground.
It let out an agonized, strangled gurgle. It staggered. Its eyeless head tilted upward as if in confusion.
BOOM!
Then, the sixth projectile came, blasting straight through the beast’s head. Its writhing tendrils spasmed violently as its body convulsed and swayed incessantly before its legs gave out.
Then, with a final, shuddering breath, its giant body collapsed, the ground shaking beneath its weight.
It was dead.
The Malekiths stood frozen, their eyes wide with disbelief. The battlefield, once filled with the monstrous presence of Ulaapi Jahek, now lay silent except for the faint crackling of scorched earth. They couldn’t process what had just happened.
One moment, the Boss loomed over them, suffocating them with its mere existence. Then, out of nowhere, a thunderous boom split the sky, and chunks of its flesh erupted in a spray of black ichor. After several more thunderous booms, it was dead.
Meanwhile, Chloe and Samantha turned to Lucas, their expressions a mix of awe and annoyance.
“Seriously?” Chloe groaned, “That was totally cheating!”
“Yeah,” Samantha added, crossing her arms. “We were expecting a tough fight, and you just, bam!, deleted it from existence.”
Lucas shrugged, unfazed, “If we were to do that, some extradiegetic entity might curse us for dragging this fight.”
Chloe sighed, “I swear, fighting with you is getting less fun.”
Samantha smirked, “At least it’s efficient.”