The soldiers advanced in total control of the battlefield. The hordes of insects keep coming, but they were destroyed under laser fire. The guns pierced straight through several of them with a single shot.
They were about forty soldiers, but that was enough to break the enemy’s defenses and reach the center of the abandoned city. They haven’t lost a single soldier to the infection, and if that wasn’t enough, they were backed up by their captain.
"Secure the perimeter; clean the building from any shadows!" The sergeant yelled orders while Sesius and the human were looking over the city.
"The explorers said they only saw insects and lizards inside the city. Do you have anything to share?" He saw Silas looking at the city with a worried expression.
"You know, when you told me that your plan was a direct attack, I thought it was a joke. But after reaching the center so easily, I’m sure this is a tramp."
"My scouts have looked everywhere in this place; the only way to hide is here. The fact that the enemy army is weak only proves its desperate tactics to gain control of other creatures."
"Yeah, your equipment is incredible, but the shadow should already know this. Why is it still sending hordes of insects and animals to try to stop us? It should be obvious that it is useless."
"It’s good to be cautious, but don’t overestimate the enemy. Whatever trick he is going to try, I can handle it. I give you my word; with me here, I won’t let it escape."
He had no way to refute that. After seeing the power of the Valein army, he could say with certainty that these forty soldiers could conquer all the pix tribes back in the forest and the Rock without a problem.
With lights that could move in the air and great teamwork, they didn’t leave any blind spots as they moved forward, clearing the buildings. It was the true might of an organized military force, as opposed to the formations used by the Pix-Dawn alliance army.
As they cleared the path inside the city and the legions of cockroaches were decimated along with a few giant lizards, Silas looked around for any clue about the original inhabitants of this city.
The buildings were different from the ones in the old valein city, and the language was indecipherable. He decided to ask the only person who might be aware of the past.
"Do you know about what happened to this place, Sesius?"
"If you’re trying to ask me the reason for our presence here, I can tell you that it's for resources, but I don’t have any clue about the history of this city. In fact, we didn’t know there was an abandoned city in the first place."
"So, you don’t know what race or creature lived here?"
"No, I’m going to write a report later for the academic research team. They are the ones who are in charge of archaeological investigations and other races' investigations."
He couldn’t help but feel like an ignorant kid with every new thing he learned about the Valein Empire. A sergeant came from the frontline to inform Sesius.
"Captain, the men in front say they found something that looked like the enemy’s main body. It's most certainly a Rak. The concentration of shadows is too dense to be a simple puppet."
"If it is a System user, we need to approach carefully. Send word to the scouts to wait in position. I’m going to take the lead along with the main force."
"Yes, Sir!" The sergeant saluted and went to inform his men.
"I’m coming too. You need to let me copy its power before you kill it."
"I know. Stay in the back along with my soldiers, and attack only if your life is in danger. One shot with the laser rifle could hurt any of us."
"Don’t worry, I have practice with guns." He remembered all the times that Nadine's weapons exploded after a single use. Having the chance to shoot multiple times looked fun.
The army moved into the center of what seemed like a market district; among the old and destroyed houses and stores, a massive amorphous body made of shadows stood tall in its grotesque glory.
If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
It was similar to a beating heart made of darkness; not even the lights they were using to illuminate the cave were good enough to show the massive size of the monster. This was Silas' first encounter with a Rak. The source of his pain, as well as the deaths of his pix allies and the source of the infection
The body made a noise too strange to be called a screech or whimper, but the insects turned and attacked the army. The laser flew everywhere, and Silas got the chance to shoot his own gun.
It felt like he was playing a video game; blasting the cockroaches felt so good that he forgot this was real life.
Sesius walked forward on his own and took the sword from its sheath. Silas noticed the color of the sword meant it was made with another set of colored ore. Two ores, one blue and the other white, blended together into a single sword.
They also have people that can forge those rare metals into powerful weapons, or maybe they just reached that point of metallurgy. With their level of technology, it should be possible.
Using swift and strong cuts, Sesius slashed any leg that came close as he made his way toward the massive shadow. The insects fell into a bloody pile of dead bodies under his mastery of the sword.
Silas copied that power, but this was what a real master of Moon style looked like. A complete circle of defense. If he hadn’t stolen that power a few hours ago, he wouldn’t have any idea how this combat style worked.
A circle of defense, he’s making a circle with the blade and himself in the center. He doesn't overextend himself to attack; instead, he just waits for the cockroaches to try and get close. But it is not only the circle; he can walk and move while keeping the same stance. Amazing!
After reaching the shadow, Sesius looked at it with disdain. "I sentence you to death for your crimes against the Valein army; do you have any final words or a final plea?"
Nothing; the shadow was unchanging and incapable of communicating. Sesius looked at Silas, this was the signal for him to use his power. He took aim and tried to steal all the power he could to learn something. Between the change in his body and the information that had been revealed, he could only say one thing at the time.
"Get back, Sesius. That is not the main body!"
The shadows broke, and a monster came from inside the cocoon, spewing darkness. A giant claw tried to crush Sesius, but he raised his sword in time to deflect the attack. A laugh came from the monster.
The shadows shifted across the body and revealed a mocking smile. Silas transformed partially into the creature, but Sesius knew exactly what it was.
"The egg carcass, you took over an unborn dragon."
"Hahahaha, you finally understand weak valein. I was just taking my time to lure you in. You can’t escape from my city. My minions had all the exits blocked. I’m sure you hear from your kind about the old dragons. Powerful beasts, but their own greed and ambition caused them to face extinction. Your destiny is to be my slaves for the rest of your lives."
The dragon moved its broken wings, and the others attacked. This time, he wasn’t holding anything back. The insects came by the hundreds, and over a dozen giant lizards came crawling from below the rocks.
For the first time in the assault, the army was backing away into a circle formation. The sheer numbers of enemies were making the pile of dead bodies work as shields for the ones behind. Despite the overwhelming number of enemies, Sesius was still holding his ground.
The slashes cut down everything that entered his circle of defense. Silas watched in awe at the moves that killed anything as he jumped from a pile of cockroaches into a building, killing ten more with two attacks.
He remembered Sesius's promise. He wasn’t going to back down or let this Rak go unpunished. The soldiers were struggling, but they went into a defensive position to buy time, time for their captain to kill this monster and win.
Damn it, I don’t have the time to just sit here like an idiot with my mouth open; I have to tell him.
"He has two skills: [Toxic breath] and [Shadow mantle]. The first one is a toxic cloud that works like a poison, and the second one is a defensive power that blocks damage for a moment." He was using the small communication device that he gave him as part of the equipment.
The worst thing was that those skills didn’t feel natural. For so long, the shadows had controlled and infected the unborn dragon, giving him a new, mutated life. It was no longer a regular dragon but a new creature born of the shadow's selfish desires. A hybrid puppet and host.
"I can’t find the original body of the shadow, but it must be somewhere inside the dragon. If you kill it, then I bet he won’t have any other choice but to show himself!"
"Understood!" Sesius responded and engaged in even more fierce combat.
"I can hear the noise coming from your ears. All of your plans will be in vain. The reason I’m letting you live, Silas, is to show you the hell you wanted to see so desperately." the dragon's head said with a wicked smile. "I wonder how long it is going to take for you to beg to be my slave. 100 years? 500 years? I can’t wait to break you in so many ways."
The creepy smile sent a chill down his spine, but hope came rushing back as soon as he heard Sesius' words.
"You won’t lay a finger on him. Today is the day of your judgment, and I’m your executioner!" He leaped from the back of a cockroach with such power that it snapped in two. He slashed across the neck of the dragon.
[Shadow mantle]. A shadow barrier blocked the attack as the claw dropped on top of Sesius.
[Toxic breath] The poison hit him from above, but he was wearing the Captain's medallion of the Valein army. Weak poisons and toxins couldn’t affect him; some of his clothes were disintegrating. He couldn’t take too many of these poison clouds.
Right as the battle was intensifying, the cave above broke, and the largest lizard they had seen fell in pieces. Everyone was stunned for a moment.
"Oh, it looks like I was correct, Silvano. Something was happening right below us. Yes, I see it. That creature of shadow is your nemesis."
Hendrix joined the fray.