Maxine looked into the depths of space beyond the moon towards the void beasts as she floated in Earth's upper atmosphere. There was still two hours before the first wave got within her archery range, but she wasn't able to sit still due to her insistence on facing the first wave's 57 gold stage void beasts by herself. It will further improve morale to the troops to see at least one over powered fighter on their side. Hopefully, I can kill most, if not all, of them before they get within melee range.
She glanced down at Earth and smiled when she thought about the last week. Emily had been very demanding in her attempts to get pregnant every night, including the one that Maxine had performed in a concert. Her male clone so tired that it spent the majority of the day meditating to recuperate.
Thankfully, the concert had gone off without a hitch. Although, she was she was disappointed that she couldn't sing all of the songs that had been picked out in english. Some of them simply sounded better in their native tongue.
The time that she didn't spend with Emily was either spent with Hellen or at her birth parents home. Nathan in particular thought that her serpentine, golden eye was 'cool.' I still don't know why my eye hasn't completely changed back yet. I've trained in my full hybrid form several times to get accustomed to it, but that only changed the shape of my pupil, not my eye color. I wonder why it's staying that color. Still, I never realized how much it would bug me that my eyes are different colors. I need to talk to daddy later to make sure this shit isn't permanent.
At that memory, she gently reached up and removed the eyepatch. Under normal circumstances, she didn't need to see to fight effectively, but having only one eye would lower her combat power on an unconscious level. And that could easily result in her death.
She looked to her left and right to see the vast array of silver defense arrays all aiming into the endless black of space. She had no doubt that they had already detected the void beasts and were already calculating the optimal firing angle. She hoped that there were enough of them to provide a solid defense.
She also spotted Me'Lantra standing on the nearest platform while her massive swarm floated just below them and slightly further below them just was Kerrigan's swarm. They must be anxious about this battle as well if they're already in position.
With one last look in the direction of the void beasts, she flew down to rest for another hour and a half before she had to get into position. After a handful of seconds, she spotted the large encampment set aside for the mercenaries and flew towards a large tent set aside for the command staff. She didn't even have to enter it to hear Hellen yelling at everyone.
Maxine sighed before she walked inside and nearly ran into Hellen. "You're not going to fight those things alone!" Hellen roared at Maxine, "You're taking at least five other gold stagers with you at a bare minimum."
"Mom, relax," Maxine said calmly, "Five of them will be on standby in case I can't handle it. They should've already told you that."
"I don't care!" Hellen roared, "You could still get killed before they can reach you!" Maxine knew that Hellen was only worried about her, but something in Hellen's tone made her feel angry.
"Mom," Maxine said in a warning tone as both of her eyes stretched vertically, "I know what I'm doing." Damn that I hate it when my eyes do that on their own.
"I don't think you realize how dangerous what you're proposing is," Hellen said angrily.
"I'm fully aware that if I make a single mistake I could be eaten ALIVE, before anyone could reach me," Maxine retorted, "And I do not want to experience that. So I fully intend to make use of my constructs to defend myself if I get into a situation that I don't think I can handle. Just because I don't use them very often, doesn't mean that they're not useful." I could do that too, but I won't. I have something much more efficient in mind. I just hope that move works like I hope it will. It's not exactly safe to use that attack anywhere near Earth. Or any planet for that matter.
"I forgot you could do that," Hellen said and a look of relief spread across her face.
"Finally! Now, can we address how Maxine is dressed?" Grandma Victoria said as she walked up from behind Hellen, "She's showing far too much skin." Hellen looked confused and appraised what Maxine was wearing.
"Why does your leather tunic have no back?" Hellen asked.
"My back isn't completely exposed," Maxine pointed out, "And I'm only wearing this in case I need to use my full-hybrid form." And the cords criss crossing my back are elastic enough to accommodate any increase in my size and if I had any fabric on my upper back, it would just be annihilated when those serpents burst out of my upper back.
"I don't like it," Grandma Victoria complained, "You will end up distracting many of the mercenaries that you hired."
"If that's all it takes, they deserve to be eaten by a void beast," Maxine countered.
"Harsh words, but not unwarranted," Zabel Nodd said as he appeared to Maxine's left.
"I was wondering when you would show up," Maxine commented, "Everyone else has been here for hours."
"Yes, I know. Your beloved Emily is at the healer's tents getting the other healers psyched up," Zabel Nodd said calmly, "Shouldn't you do something like that as well?"
"I don't have to," Maxine answered, "My fellow earthlings know what's at stake and you would be surprised how ferocious a man or woman defending their home and families can be."
"I wouldn't know," Zabel Nodd replied, "I was never trained to lead others."
"Nor was I," Maxine retorted, "But I'm still going to be leading the defense."
"And I will be fighting by your side regardless, unlike that shadow lord," Zabel Nodd said with a smirk, "And I believe he hasn't been seen for over a week. Did he perhaps flee like the coward that he is?"
"For your information, I left to get reinforcements," Turan said as he walked into the tent, "I brought an additional twelve gold and seven thousand three hundred silver stage shadow lords to aide in Earth's defense."
"That's excellent!" Maxine said happily, "Thank you, Turan."
"It was nothing," Turan replied with a gentle smile, "You would be surprised how easy it was to convince them to come."
"Do they still believe I still have a chance at becoming the 'true' shadow queen?" Maxine asked.
"Yes, they do," Turan answered, "And I exploited that fact to get you the additional warriors that you need."
"How underhanded of you," Zabel Nodd commented, "I approve."
"I didn't do it for your approval, demon," Turan said, "I did it for Maxine and no one else."
"Ahh, so you're a love struck idiot," Zabel Nodd said, "Although, I will admit. I didn't expect that a shadow lord of all things would end up as one."
"I suggest you stop provoking him," Silva said as she entered the tent, "He is our commander for the duration of this planet's defense and it's well within his rights to order us to kill you. It could be easily explained that you 'attacked' us first and we were forced to defend ourselves. Afterall, demons are so unpredictable."
"Touche," Zabel Nodd said with a smile.
"What the hell does that mean?" Silva asked.
"It means that he acknowledges that you made a good point at his expense," Maxine answered.
"Oh, you have a word for that?" Silva asked in surprise, "What an interesting culture you must have."
"Earth has a diverse cultural background," Maxine said, "As well as dozens of spoken languages."
"Your world is very odd," Silva commented and immediately shrugged, "But I'm not here to judge your world. I'm here to help defend it."
"Thank you," Maxine said and turned to Turan, "How the hell did you end up being in charge of them?"
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"I have a great deal of knowledge and experience when it comes to Earth, so I was the logical choice," Turan said calmly, "And it helps that my ancestor is also on the grand council of elders."
"Ah," Maxine said in understanding, "It shouldn't be too hard to integrate your reinforcements into Earth's defense. Am I wrong to assume that most if not all of the shadow lords present know how to use a bow?"
"No, you are not," Turan replied, "All of us have some skill using a bow, but only a third are what my people consider skilled marksmen."
"Excellent," Maxine said, "Spread them evenly amongst the three battlegroups."
"Understood," Turan said before he walked out of the tent.
Almost immediately after, one of the guards poked his head in and said, "Ma'am, the press would like to have a word with you." I was wondering when they would show up. Then again, the leaders of the world didn't reveal what kind of danger we're in until a couple hours ago to minimize the rioting. It's not surprising that it would take them this long to track me down.
"I'll be right out," Maxine answer and the guard nodded before leaving the tent.
Maxine took a deep breath before walking outside. The reporter was a beautiful redheaded woman and she moved towards Maxine. However, she paused in surprise when her gaze locked onto Maxine's eyes. I sort of expected that reaction. It's not a well known fact that my eyes are mismatched.
Not surprisingly, the reporter recovered very quickly. "I'm Cindy Callahan from CNN. Ms. Levings, what are void beasts, where do they come from and how many of them are approaching Earth?"
"I'm not sure what you've been told about void beasts, but they come from an isolated pocket dimension. And they have an unrelenting hate for anything outside of it. As for how many are approaching Earth, I can't be certain of their exact numbers, but in the incoming wave, there are approximately one hundred seventy thousand of them. As for their total numbers, it's in the neighborhood of five million."
"How strong are these creatures?" Cindy Callahan asked.
"Equivalent to a peak silver stage cultivator, but I don't suppose the means much to the average person," Maxine answered as she thought for a moment, "Think of it as them having the ability to throw attacks with the same destructive power as the nuclear weapons dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And there are hundreds of them that are even stronger than that."
"What... what are our chances against such a force?" Cindy Callahan asked.
"If you had asked me an hour ago, it would've been sixty to seventy percent chance," Maxine said, "But we got a surprise reinforcement from the Shadow Lords. They are considerably more powerful than most cultivators so it bumped our chances right up to eighty to ninety percent chance of victory." That's only if the situation doesn't change. It could take a turn for the worse far too easily. And I'll be damned before I say it out loud. I refuse to be the jinx that screwed everyone over.
"Could you explain how you intend to arrange our forces for the viewers at home?" Cindy Callahan asked.
"Of course," Maxine said calmly, "The first and outermost layer of our ranged defense is comprised of over five hundred defensive satellites that will unleash a barrage at the approaching void beasts once they're in range. Simultaneously, silver stage cultivators with long range capabilities will hover in low orbit and they will unleashed their own barrage of attacks. I will be amongst them. If we're lucky, they'll be wiped out before they can get within melee range. If not, we have an allied hive matriarch, as well as local one of our own, that will send their warriors out to fight them up close and personal along with our own close combat experts. If any of the creatures get past them all of that, there is a large gathering of iron stage cultivators more than capable of eliminating them through sheer overwhelming numbers."
"But that's only if events play out as you expect them to," Cindy Callahan stated, "If several of these waves combine, what would our situation look like?"
"I have a contingency plan, if that happens," Maxine replied, "Hopefully, it won't come to that." I have two contingencies to be precise, but I do NOT want to use them. Creating a portal strong enough to hurl a piece of the fucking sun at the void beasts is stupid dangerous. If I make a single mistake, I will end up destroying Earth along with the void beasts. The only other option is for me to go full hydra. I can only hope that both my regeneration is able to keep up with that kind of abuse AND that I can return to normal before targeting the other defenders.
"And that is?" Cindy Callahan asked.
"Let's just say I have a transformation that I havn't used publickly yet," Maxine said calmly, "And that it's extremely dangerous, not for me, but for everyone else. So, you can understand my reluctance to use it."
"I see. Thank you for your time," Cindy Callahan said before she walked towards a nearby mercenary. Maxine ignored her at that point and paused when she saw several mercenaries glance upward. Hmm? It's too early for the void beasts. So, why are they looking up?
Maxine followed their gazes and growled in frustration. The void beast swarm was visible from the ground and it was clearly making the mercenaries nervous. Shit, they're speeding up. They shouldn't have become visible for another forty minutes.
A moment later, her dimensional ring vibrated two times to let her know to get into position and saw many mercenaries and earthlings putting on a breathing apparatus before rocketing off into the sky. Maxine looked around her one more time before doing the same.
Within moments, she reached the upper atmosphere and proceeded towards the centermost grouping of silver stage cultivators. She withdrew her elven bow from her dimensional ring just and transformed into her shadow elf form as she got into position.
[Okay, everyone. We have only minutes before the void beasts are in range,] Maxine said via spiritual sense to every cultivator within range, [Everyone should attack on my signal and believe me it will be impossible to miss.]
With the remaining time, Maxine focused on creating a special arrow. She poured her energies into it while compressing them into the smallest point possible. She grit her teeth in intense concentration to keep it from getting out of her control.
From what I can tell, the gold stage void beasts are in the center of this wave. If I aim this right, I should take out all of them in one shot along with a large chunk of this wave. I hope this thing doesn't detonate before it hits it's intended target. I won't exactly be able to fire a second one of these things. I would consider this a trump card if it didn't take seventy percent of my energy and take so much damn time to form.
Just as she finished forming her 'Singularity Arrow', the void beasts got into range. She swiftly nocked the arrow and drew her bow. She took careful aim and released the arrow.
Maxine followed the trajectory of her arrow with rapt attention and smiled brilliantly when she saw the singularity form where she intended it to. While she found it odd that only the defense platforms were attacking, she didn't take her eyes off of the void beast swarm as nearly a third of the swarm was violently pulled into singularity.
The void beasts struggled and panicked as they tried to get away, but the singularity was pulling them in. A few of them even unleashed beams of light at the singularity, but to no avail. They were all crushed into the attack all the same. However, just as the singularity collapsed in on itself, Maxine could've sworn she saw Earth within it for the briefest of moments. What the fuck was that?! She was trying to process what she just say and by the time that she had, the singularity had already collapsed into a small orb no bigger than a marble. Wow, it looks like I got all of the gold stage void beasts. Maybe I should use it on each of these waves. But what was that I saw. And why the fuck are those idiots just standing there with their mouths open like a bunch of morons?!
[What the hell are you fuckers waiting for?! ATTACK!] Maxine screamed at them while forming a dozen simple energy arrows. Her shout woke them up and they immediately began unleashing a barrage of attacks.
Maxine fired arrow after arrow into the remainder of the void beast swarm and she always managed to one shot them due to the difference in their strength. Unfortunately, silver stage cultivators needed at least eight direct hits to kill one, but it often took more. At this rate, roughly fifty thousand void beasts will make it into melee range and considering how nasty those spines look on these void beasts, Me'Lantra and Kerrigan's warriors will suffer heavy losses. That's not even mentioning the casualties from everyone else that volunteered to fight up close. If I was at full strength, I could spam scatter shot arrows, but that's no longer possible. Fuck! If those idiots had attacked when they were supposed to, this problem wouldn't be around. Screw it. I'll just use scatter shot arrows until I'm nearly out of energy and hope it's enough while I gorge myself on food until they get into melee range.
Maxine started targeting up to twenty void beasts at a time with her scatter shot arrows and unleashed at least ten every second. Her attacks didn't always kill, but she didn't have the luxury of killing her targets every time. Severely wounding them would still lower their combative powers significantly. Which was more than enough as far as she was concerned. Still, she was only able to maintain that effort for roughly a minute and a half.
Swiftly, she put away her bow and practically inhaled various meats from within her dimensional ring. When she realized that her body wasn't digesting the food fast enough to keep up with her consumption, she swiftly transformed into her battle form and continued. She could feel her energy levels slowly rising, but at the rate it was climbing, she wouldn't be capable of more than her simpler moves. And that increased the risk she would face.
She pulled out a few nutritional pills and swallowed them in hopes of speeding up her recovery. They definitely did that as she felt her energies rapidly surge upwards. Those three pills were enough to restore 60% of her full strength, but would take a few minutes to fully digest due to their density. I only made a couple dozen of these since I wasn't sure how effective they would be, so I need to ration them. So, use them only during emergencies.
When the void beasts were mere moments from colliding with Me'Lantra and Kerrigan's warriors, Maxine launched forward while transforming into her full-hybrid state and withdrew a larger set of her Twilight Iron Blades that were meant for her male clone to wield.
Moments before colliding with void beasts, she made a mental note to avoid the ten inch spikes protruding out of the fifteen foot long void beasts as she began slashing out with her blades. She had to deftly dodge and weave through the void beasts as they reflexively tried to wrap around her with their barbed bodies. The serpents on her back sprayed the few that she couldn't kill using her blades with acid.
She moved with increasing grace and speed as she lost count of how many void beasts that she killed. She only knew that there their numbers didn't seem to be decreasing no matter how many she killed. Are they all coming after me or something?
Eventually, there were only the corpses of void beasts floating around her and she rapidly looked around any that might still be moving. However, there weren't any living void beasts left for her to kill. Still, she felt thousands of people looking at her and she turned towards them. The mercenaries were giving her look of admiration and appreciation. However, her fellow earthlings were terrified of her. I should've expected this, but I rather attract this attention than for there to be unnecessary casualties. Although, I bet they'll be hoping that I will throw that stupidly powerful arrow out every time I make a showing, but after seeing Earth's reflection in it, I'm kind of hesitant to do it.