Waves of Rakh-ahtan beasts kept emerging from the mother lake. The dark metallic bodies were quickly met by powerful beams from the 11 high posts of Tonovia.
The beast's silver blood was filling the lake. The sounds of war echoed through the air, reaching the ears of Usto', the leader of Tonovia who was powerless to do anything except observe the attack on his nation.
After the 7th high post had fallen, the blood of the Rakh-ahtan warrior that had destroyed the high post had caused a possession of the living and the dead. As the number of infected spread, the 6th high post started being sieged.
Chaos had erupted within the confines of the 6th high post as infected Tonovians from the 7th high post overran the stone monolith. Minutes later, a giant explosive fireball consumed the 6th high post, destroying swaths of the infected.
On the other side of the 7th high post, Great Iron Guttenson' Losci of the 8th High post evacuated his men, leaving only himself behind. Calmly, he consumed two gray glass crystals, empowering him alone to defend Tonovia against the potential outbreak of an infectious murderous disease.
Curiously, an infected soldier ran past Guttenson'. A short distance away, hordes of infected were running toward him. After the first infected reached the stone monolith, Guttenson' leaped into the air and unveiled a metallic shield.
Guttenson' anticipated the imminent destruction of the 8th high post, just as it had occurred to the 6th and 7th High posts.
However, to everyone's astonishment, the first infected Tonovian that reached the stone monolith had different commands. It used the stone monolith to teleport itself directly before the three Rakh-ahtan warriors near the mother lake.
Sensing an opportunity, Great Iron Guttenson' swung his metallic shied, which transfigured into a mace, and used the moment to dash towards the stone monolith.
With the hordes of infection only a few feet away, Guttenson communicated vital instructions to the stone monolith before teleporting himself to the 9th high post.
A few seconds later, the horde of infected placed their hands on the stone monolith. A second later, one of the three Rakh-ahtan warriors was teleported to the 8th high post. It had a distinctive white jewel on its forehead. Its intimidating presence cast an eerie silence over the battlefield.
Nearly a mile away, in the 9th high post, a sudden flash of light caught the attention of those present. From within the flash, a figure materialized.
"They possess a higher level of intelligence than we initially believed," a voice from the flash commented. It was Guttenson'. His gray stood out among the bronze legions of the 9th high post.
However, Guttenson's words were meant for someone he considered an equal Great Iron Sayelle', the Great Iron who operated Tonovias 9th high post.
Great Iron Sayelle' nodded attentively, absorbing every word from the man he considered the greatest Great Iron of the 12 high posts.
The situation demanded unwavering cooperation. The Great Irons had to adopt a new strategy. "Understood," Sayelle' responded, his voice firm and resolute. He recognized that following the guidance of the Great Iron Guttenson' was their best chance at survival.
While Great Iron Goeh' had been caught off guard, resulting in the loss of not only his high post but also the lives of his men, Great Iron Guttenson' displayed exceptional leadership. Despite the overrun of his base, he managed to safeguard most of his troops by swiftly relocating them to the 9th post—a testament to his quick thinking and resourcefulness.
Great Iron Guttenson' and Great Iron Sayelle' of the 9th post shared a deep bond. Their acquaintance began when Sayelle was first promoted to Great Iron.
Guttenson' proceeded to inform Sayelle about a startling discovery. The spill of enemy blood triggered a violent reaction upon contact. Those affected would lose control over their bodies, whether dead or alive.
"We must avoid touching any blood, friend or foe alike," Guttenson emphasized.
In the distance, the Rakh-ahtan warrior who had teleported to the 8th high post refrained from teleporting toward them. Instead, it zeroed in on another Rakh-ahtan warrior by the lake.
The two remaining Rakh-ahtan warriors by the lake were cunningly evading the destructive beams unleashed by the high posts. One had a red jewel on its forehead, and the other a blue jewel. The one with the red jewel was teleported to the 8th high post by its ally.
Only the blue jewel Rakh-ahtan warrior remained by the lake. The high posts concentrated their firepower on the solitary target. In a matter of seconds, the otherworldly warrior suffered a devastating blow, and its left leg obliterated in an explosion.
Just as a volley of beams shot at its body, it teleported, avoiding being torn asunder by the beams' explosive power.
Three relentless Rakh-ahtan warriors had successfully breached the defenses of the twelve high posts;
However, Guttenson' maintained a calm demeanor while assessing the situation. "I set the monolith to implode any now. Tell your men to evacuate and gather the remaining Great Irons immediately," he instructed Sayelle'.
As a people, their numbers over the years were heavily declining. The loss of any more Tonovians was simply unbearable.
Sayelle' placed his palm on his monolith, which was no longer firing its powerful beam. Through the monolith he communicated his message to the Great Irons of the other high posts.
After he had delivered the message, the monolith of the 8th high post imploded with explosive force, and the resulting explosion reverberated through the air, sending shockwaves to the distant 9th post.
Before it had imploded, the three Rakh-ahtan warriors were near the monolith, getting ready to teleport to the remaining high posts.
Of the trio, the blue-jeweled warrior, already missing its left leg, had been utilizing the monolith's power to regenerate its body.
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Unfortunately for it, the implosion occurred with such violence and speed that its lower body condensed to a mere needlepoint. Atomic disintegration was guaranteed around the monolith's immediate radius. Everything within that space was inexorably compressed.
Unable to withstand the pressure, an explosion followed, creating a devastating force. Its shockwaves rippled all the way to the 9th post.
In the wake of the explosion, a blazing sea of fire erupted where the 8th high post once stood.
A crater about ten meters wide marked the explosion's epicenter. Strangely, the crater burned more fervently than the surrounding flames. Within the inferno, the red jewel Rakh-ahtan voraciously consumed the blazing flames as if savoring their essence.
The Great Irons from the other high posts had teleported to the 9th high post in time to witness the aftermath.
Guttenson' muttered under his breath, "Damn, only one of them was taken out!"
On the other hand, Great Iron Sayelle' stood in complete shock as the red-jeweled Rakh-ahtan warrior devoured the sea of flames. As the fire diminished, the white jeweled Rakh-ahtan appeared and approached the remains of its fallen comrade.
It picked up the only thing of value to it, the cracked blue jewel from its brethren. It then consumed the cracked jewel.
As the wisp of flame was devoured, the two Rakh-ahtan disappeared.
"They just vanished. How can that be? The monolith of the 8th post was destroyed." Confusion gripped the Great Iron of the 3rd high post.
Guttenson', raised his hand, pointing ahead, "They didn't teleport. They are sprinting towards us at full speed." After saying that, Guttenson' ingested two more of his gray ancestral crystals, raising the ancestral essence in his body.
Guttenson' rallied the other fellow Great Irons. "You all carry the title of Great Iron. It's time to prove it. Great Irons of high posts 2 through 5, you will engage the enemy with the red gemstone. The rest of us will focus on the one with the white gemstone. Great Iron Sayelle' will remain hidden, ready to deliver a debilitating blow. We then turn on the injured target and execute it."
Everyone nodded, their nerves tinged with anticipation. Despite their title most of them had never seen actual combat unlike Guttenson who had lived through two civil wars.
Each Great Iron carried a bag filled with their ancestral crystals imbued with ancestral essence. Ancestral essence was the accumulation of Will produced by the decomposing bodies of the deceased. Ingesting an ancestral crystal as Tonovian permitted the use of Will for a short time.
They took no more than three careful steps to avoid causing ancestral flooding, which could be fatal.
Only the Great Iron of the 3rd post, opted for two, reasoning, "There are two of them and nine of us. Although they are formidable, we possess the strength in numbers. Two crystals should suffice."
With their preparations complete, tension mounted as they braced themselves for the imminent clash of their powerful enemies.
In a flash, swift as lightning, the Great Irons witnessed two glimmering red and white lights dashing towards them.
Guttenson's meticulous formation was futile against the two Rakh-ahtan warriors'. They swiftly broke through the two formations as air as if they weren't there.
The Rakh-ahtan bearing the red gemstone stood before the two groups, clutching a severed blue head in its right hand. The Great Irons, still in their formation, hadn't even realized that a headless body stood beside them.
The decapitated head belonged to the Great Iron of the 3rd post, whose body, unaware of its final breath, took a few unsteady steps before collapsing.
Meanwhile, the white gemstone Rakh-ahtan held only an arm in its grasp. The arm belonged to the Great Iron of the 11th post, who tossed three more of his ancestral crystals into his mouth and tore a piece of clothing, wrapping it around his severed limb to slow the bleeding.
Gradually, his eyes emitted a faint, greenish glow, and he knelt, placing his hand on the ground. Roots emerged, breaking through the earth, and they coiled around his body like wooden serpents. The roots slithered towards his missing limb. In seconds, he created a wooden arm that served as a prosthetic.
Guttenson' was the first to initiate a countermove, denying the two Rakh-ahtan warriors any opportunity to launch another devastating assault.
He tossed ten small metal spheres into the air. When they made contact with his body, the metal splashed like water drops. The liquid metal enveloped Guttenson's body, flowing like silver water around him.
Guttenson' executed the plan he had formulated in his mind, focusing on a single enemy so he could create an opening for Sayelle'.
Guttenson' charged forward, the rest of the Great Irons followed closely behind. Unfazed by the approaching attack, the Rakh-ahtan with the white gemstone began to breathe heavily as if mocking Guttenson's offensive maneuver.
Its white gem softly glowed as it extended its left hand, conjuring a metal staff from its metallic flesh. Gripping the staff firmly, the Rakh-ahtan swung it back with a powerful motion.
The swing summoned winds reminiscent of an apocalyptic tempest. Caught by the front of the vortex, the group of Great Irons was forcefully propelled hundreds of feet into the air and tossed about like insects by the wind: only Guttenson and another, the Great Iron of the 1st high post, remained unmoved. The two managed to maintain their footing, defying the ferocity of the winds.
Guttenson', the most seasoned among the twelve, relied on his extensive experience and mastery of ancestral essence. Just as the most potent force of the winds bore down upon him, he clasped his hands together.
In a fraction of a second, the metallic liquid surrounding him transformed into a sharp spear, effortlessly piercing through the onslaught of wind. Simultaneously, the liquid metal beneath his left foot rapidly extended against the ground, propelling him forward like an arrow, bypassing the turbulent storm.
The Great Iron next to Guttenson' lacked such foresight, falling victim to the full force of the winds. His skin was brutally ripped from his body, and the violent gust tore him apart, instantaneously killing him.
With astonishing speed, Guttenson' broke through the wind, catching the white jewel Rakh-ahtan off guard.
Guttenson' landed dozens of meters behind his target. A massive hole was left on the chest of the white jeweled Rakh-ahtan warrior responsible for the deadly wind. The 15-ft warrior crumpled to the ground, apparently defeated by a single Great Iron.
Guttenson' quickly turned his attention to the final Rakh-ahtan. Like its companion, it raised both hands, conjuring a plain yet colossal broadsword from its own metallic flesh.
Both Guttenson' and the red jeweled Rakh-ahtan charged at each other. Guttenson' attacked, making a shooting spear of himself again. With complete mastery over his liquid metal, it assumed a more streamlined shape, aiding Guttenson' in his attack.
However, the red jeweled Rakh-ahtan charged at him with raw strength, its red gem glowing intensely. Before swinging his broad sword against the metal spike Guttenson' had become. The Rakh-ahtan shifted its momentum and swung its blade upwards, igniting a small flame with the slash.
Within moments, the flame expanded in the air, swallowing the land of the 9th post and casting flames in every direction.
Guttenson's metallic suit had ejected him from harm's way between the slash and the ensuing inferno. He narrowly avoided being boiled in his liquid metal suit. Despite his lightning-quick reflexes, the swing had cleanly cut through his right arm.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Guttenson swiftly consumed two more ancestral crystals; however, no sign of ancestral flooding appeared. With a mere thought, he commanded his liquid metal to reform itself into a replacement metallic right arm. His metal arm seamlessly integrated with his body, stopping the bleeding.