Brainstorming Alone
"Slow down. Which 3 points?" Ciemnosc talked like he was shopping with his mommy, with his big eyes curious and not caring about what he looked like as he almost stood up and asked while jumping around, even thinking. 'Yes! Finally, I can train these people!'
Fortunately, Valeria was right there to stop him from standing up and sat him back down, though, for those around and even Makis, it seemed more like she was showing her might and dominance. Also, it now seemed to him more real than before that Mosto was some kind of servant of hers and was there to protect her toy and also to keep him away from other girls.
“What? I…” Makis was already feeling left out and not cared for despite his obvious countenance. When he finally processed Ciemnosc’s words, he shook his head while looking down before raising his head and staring at Ciemnosc’s boy-charming face. “I… They are approaching us from the center, northeast, and southeast. Mostly from the northeast.”
Without shaking nor babbling about anymore even if it was just a little, Ciemnosc nodded at Makis’s behavior easing down before speaking in a dull but calm tone, and informative even. “Okay…okay. What were going to be your arrangements?”
“Sir, if I may! There is no time for chit-chat right now!” The young man beside Shidar stood up and half-shouted, still not daring to raise his voice beside Valeria at all. He made Shidar herself blink slowly in realization for a berating of words, but what came to their ears was still Ciemnosc’s voice only.
“Calm down, I need to know, then rearrange. Makis?” Ciemnosc spoke simply, then looked at Makis and left the duo of Shidar and the young man, secretly smiling at the fact that there seems to be people as leading figures within his corp starting to care about the mission, no longer a yolo last few days of their lives anymore.
“Ah…yes, yes!” Makis was increasingly becoming anxious that he felt his head explode. He looked in a certain other direction from where Ciemnosc could tell was the panel of some of the precinct where his people may be before lifting his head and looking at the commander once more. “I placed 20,000 in the middle and 5,000 to 8,000 in the northern and southern walls of the outpost.”
“...huuu…” Ciemnosc was already cringing reversely with his chest raising to the air and his neck and head thrown backwards the very same moment that ‘20,000’ and ‘northern’ were heard. Makis didn’t notice and ignorantly continued on, all while Ciemnosc’s ‘oh aw fuck’ was making those in the main tent gulp lightly; nervously.
“Okay, no. Look, it is already too late to make use of your cars, just bring the people on foot to the defensive arrays. They are only capable of seeing a pre-recorded image of a ‘smaller outpost’ about ¼ its real size and with a concealing array that seems to malfunction. You do remember that, right?” Ciemnosc placed his hands on the white table and smoothly spat out word after word, looking into Makis’s eyes and somehow giving him a light…hope?
“Ah yes, but… But why ‘no’? I am aware, we all are, of the array trick-” Makis was a bit incoherent as he explained, so Ciemnosc unceremoniously interrupted him after tilting his head a little upwards to the left, “Then send about 18,500…towards the northern east barrier of the protective array - send another 7,000 to the southern east side and the rest at the eastern side.”
“..!!?” Once Ciemnosc’s first destination for the change of troops was heard, the people inside the main tent seemed to directly understand something, with Makis taking a few seconds more before that. He looked to his side, instinctively, where a panel showed the same kind number of approaching enemies as on every other side and then began relaying his commands to the people in his outpost.
Ciemnosc could do it himself, but Makis saying it and elaborating on these being his orders were just the same, there was a ‘public’ silly little report that Valeria wanted to avoid Ciemnosc making everyone do it, but she now kinda understood what it could mean. The report was a simple debrief of how the chain of command acted without spilling any delicious, rich beans; or vital information.
“It’s done, commander. What now?” Makis said, his hands supported on his own table as he gulped several times and looked, a bit haggard, at the screen before him. He even looked as if he was relying completely on Ciemnosc’s words and command. He wasn’t going to try his luck and see if he could make it as a newborn general or something.
Though he seemed to have forgotten that this was Ciemnosc’s first time leading; ever. Before, he just told the Hidden squad to run fast into a mansion without making noise, nothing else.
“Mn~,” Ciemnosc gladly took the gesture of confidence, this vote and compliment from Makis, and then crossed his arms, laid on the backrest of his chair, and tilted his head to the left. “Now just let my little soldiers go and take care of the enemy.”
With his smile showing a dimple on his left cheek, Ciemnosc exhibited his handsomeness and charm, captivating everyone around as they waited for the ‘things’ that were to come to unfold.
***
At outpost 3, is also known for its location as bottom outpost, and southern outpost.
Just as the early morning was giving light to the puny ants down below, even the hidden Obsidiafying realm Creatures that hide and cultivate as they sleep. Sounds of footsteps could be heard, audible for over 40 km away from outpost 3; to the incoming Moribund Yearning Cult members, their Spirit Gathering realm believers were at the front of their formations at the 3 routes in which they were approaching.
With their front line curved towards their side, at the center there were Phrenic realm cultivators and only a few Link Consolidation at the very back, forming a kind of half-closed fully oval-shaped eye with a very small tear coming down from its center.
From the live footage, outpost 3 was able to witness the ‘tools’ carried by those at the back, which they were able to notify their sect disciples on the field with their Identification Tokens. Changes to the formations were made to the Spirit Gathering realm sect disciples as they instead formed 2 long lines of 3 people facing the approaching enemies to the protective array’s barrier.
…At the southern side of the array protective barrier, the two lines of Spirit Gathering realm sect disciples were already waiting on command. Their current battalion regiment leader was waiting right at the front of the lines, breathing a bit heavily and quickly, his lips making some small noises from how dry he was getting every now and then.
“Tool thrusters in position?” The battalion regiment leader asked, his device attached to his collar, which he had already been using to coordinate and found out its usefulness but was still doubting their capability was silent for a good while. After that ‘good while’, he received information from 6 different people, all saying, “We are ready.”
Their voices, their tones. It was all overly silent, somber, and somewhat stern - there was an attempt to speak calmly in a friendly way to ease everyone’s nerves as their voices could be heard by everyone in the proximity - which is only their brigade.
“At my second signal then… Don’t forget, to- do not hesitate, our Identification Tokens…will open up the way without any permission needed until the state of battle is over…and remember the commander’s words - never let an injured comrade die worthlessly, try to save some if you can, but never stop killing the other side.” Like a mantra, the silly attempts that could only work with children or naïve and/or ignorant people seemed like a toy in front of a real firearm compared to Ciemnosc’s actually fully relayed words to these sect disciples.
This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.
“Ye, sir…” - “Yeah…” - “We are ready sir, for the sect…” The moment the battalion regiment leader’s words were heard, some responses were heard from just a few random sect disciples, though they were all seen by the leader, who was speaking them. After giving them a slowly passing glance, the battalion regiment leader only took 3 seconds calmly looking at the already nearby enemy inspecting the ‘concealing array’ as if his eyes were empty, and looking at empty space.
Fwush!
He rose his left hand high up, his five fingers close together. Everyone rose their heads to look at his left hand up in the air. The Spirit Gathering realm sect disciples looked down after a couple of seconds, while the Phrenic realm sect disciples holding their cylindrical tools with a huge harpoon head the size of an adult male’s skull at its other end and with a kind of storage compartment that was 4 times the diameter of the whole harpoon head.
…STEP STEP STEP STEP STEP…!
The battalion regiment leader then lowered his arm to his shoulder level, folded his forearm, and faced the side of his thumb to the sky as he made a cutting motion forwards… In the next second, hundreds of Phrenic realm sect disciples began advancing forward!
Each team held a ‘thruster tool’, which had a length of at least 7 meters, it was so heavy that only by using their full 1,000 kg strength without using their Power Energy to augment it to 2,000 kg by using a full team of these to carry it forth. But it was still difficult to maneuver and just to move it forward.
The one at the very front of each thruster tool had a ferocious facial expression, reddening or darkening as they came closer and closer to their enemy, the barrier of the protective array becoming ever closer. They could already see their every enemy’s face.
At this moment, the one and only thought that every single first-round Phrenic realm team rushing forth had was indeed, exactly the same: ‘oh fuck! I’m gonna die, I’m really gonna die!’.
“AAAAAAAHH!!” Out of nowhere, one Phrenic realm sect disciple yelled out, steamed, and roared! His lungs had long been feeling the flow of all of his Power Energy without him noticing it. And when he opened his mouth, it was like his very own lungs came alive and acted for their own rage!
“AAAAAHH!!” - “AAAGGH!!” - “LET’S - fucking - GOOO!!” - “KIILL THEM AAAAH, AAAH!!”
Their screams were pretty premature, and the believers outside weren’t alarmed at all except for some tiniest feeling of the ground trembling beneath their feet that not even they, as cultivators, could even realize of yet. On the other hand, the real trembling from hundreds of Phrenic realm sect disciples carrying a huge, heavy object with each team amassing for a total of 1,000 kg strength per member…was felt by their comrades looking from the side as they charged into the fray - crossing through the barrier that dissipated away to let them through.
Their eyes’ pupils shrank, and their hearts ‘elevated’ as they stopped beating. Even the battalion regiment leader was astounded as he saw them charge.
“AAAAH!!” - “Enemy spotted! Damm-” - “Hurry up, bring the p-” - “AAAAAAH!! BWUGARLK…”
Phhshk! Phhshk! Phhshk!... Crrreeesshhhhkk- crreeshhk crreeshhk crreeshhk crreeshhk~~! CKRSHEERR CKRSHEERR CKRSHEERR CKRSHEERR CKRSHEERR~~!
The Spirit Gathering realm sect disciples could only see as their weaker fellow crashed into the enemy. The harpoon head at the front of their tools began impaling enemy after enemy; each time it went through a body, seemingly detecting that such a thing indeed just happened, the harpoon would emit strong energy and an illusion of it becoming bigger for a couple of seconds would occur.
Once those seconds went by, the harpoon head would come out of the cylindrical shaft and move towards an angle in specific, which varied from team to team depending on how they were holding onto it. It was as if those harpoon heads were not just heads but had very thin yet extremely durable and non-flexible supporters pushing them out, and it was indeed like so.
But while the harpoon head would be enlarged, its sharpness would increase, allowing for the charging team to keep on charging forwards without a stop! Even puppets of strong durability for even Link Consolidation realm cultivators to harm were broken apart directly, leaving the believers behind them not even a second to process why, when, or how!
Meter after meter, a believer’s body was cut off, multiple puppets were destroyed, and corpses were mangled to be rendered completely useless. It wasn’t flawlessly without mistakes - many heads from those at the front basically aiming the charging team and to the next believer were cut off and flowed into the air, mostly by puppets with intricate, flexible movements before either becoming useless as they were attacked by nearby sect disciples or after killing a few more who were too occupied handling the thruster tools.
Whenever the leading charging team member died, the entire thruster tool would dive down with its nose and harpoon penetrating slightly into the dirt. It wasn’t made for obstacles. Nor for besieging, but for mangling bodies, and depriving them of all life. But even then, the charging force and the weight from the strength behind those carrying it still made it penetrate at least ⅓ of a meter deep before stopping.
But by then it was already a simple matter for the Phrenic realm teams to be attacked, surrounded, and killed off. It was at this moment that the battalion regiment realized something and, using his right hand to make a short, cutting knife stance with his fingers close together - he immediately knelt down with one knee and reported with his Identification Token.
“Makis! The people here! Only half of them are people, the rest are corpses and puppets!”
“...What?!” Makis, who was on his way to the northern side of the barrier stopped and clamored at once, alarming his fellow sect disciples around who thought they were heard and the mission was fucked. But looking outside, the large army was still none the wiser.
“There are half and half, some puppets and corpses, while the other half are believers!! They must have done this with the north or center as well.” The battalion regiment said his few words and they cut off the communication from his side, leaving Makis’s eyes darting left and right, his tongue anxious to lick the back of his teeth.
Step…STEP STEP STEP STEP!!
Meanwhile, on the southern side of the battlefield, the battalion regiment leader joined the rest of the core disciples and rushed forwards with them, brandishing a short saber to the side of his right arm and taking the lead soon after.
“KILL THEM OFF, KILL THEM ALL~!!” The battalion regiment leader shouted, his guttural shout emanating a kind of bloodthirst beating inside every single sect disciple’s chest and their blood rushing to their feet as they trampled over leftover puppets, remains of corpses, and still dying believers with blood on their weapons, and armor already from their fellow sect disciples.
“Save our juniors!! Kill the enemy~!!” - “For the sect!” - “Avenge our fellow sect members!”
There wasn’t a shortage of cries from part of the Self-Mutilating Honores Sect since the battle started. The believers taken by surprise were in no position to properly fight back, let alone give in to their emotions and cry their hearts out. The moment that the Spirit Gathering realm sect disciples appeared, the believers instantly felt their already pyrrhic chances become excessively a joke.
Only one way was out there for them to keep going and do something for their cult. To stand and fight back, dozens of corpses and puppets few about from the position of the rest of Spirit Gathering realm believers, which were already dwindling, and projectiles, which were rotten wood with a gloomy aura flying towards the sect disciples - obscuring their sights of the fleshy bodies but not stopping them from charging over to accompany their fellow Phrenic realm sect disciples in the battle.
CLAANKKKKUKKK!! Clink clo- lo-lo clank! CLOANK~!...
Phhshk!...phhshk, phhshk, phhshk, phhshk~~... CKRSHEERR~!!... ckrsheerr ckrsheerr, ckrsheerr ckrsheerr, ckrsheerr~~! …ckrsheerr, ckrsheerr!... ckrsheerr, ckrsheerr~~!
Bodies slammed almost accidentally, but it was at least enemy to enemy; blades flashed brightly, the morning sunlight reflecting mostly on the dying eyes of the believers, overwhelmed by the rapidly slashing and thrusting weapons in the hands of every sect disciple. Staffs, daggers, arrows, glowing tools, and weapons. Polearms, axes, and hammers, even just fists and kicks capable of decimating an entire torso or half of someone’s body after weakening it.
On the other hand, tireless but quickly falling puppets were dangerous and agile as they stabbed 2 in the eye and the chest. While they were then destroyed, but by then there would already be 2 too many affected. Corpses that lasted a lot but were barely able to cause some damage. They didn’t manage to hurt somebody but were enough to block, divert attention, and act as bait and give enough time to believers to kill off the blocked sect disciple.
Blood spurting, exploding, and splashing everywhere; flesh, skin, and even bones and organs flying everywhere, even 3 meters above the battlers’ heads, and sharp, acute cries sounding right before another body met the dirt - being thereafter received by stomps from all sides, fasting its process to become fertilizer and being eaten by the earth.
Trees falling, earth-shaking with them but not any stronger than the shaking of thousands of 2,000 kg strong bodies dashing, running, jumping in an effort of a powerful attack and bodies of such strength being slammed to the ground in many different ways by another body as powerful as it.
The grass was practically becoming a green floor all around the battle. And the thruster tools that were still charging out around with their veins bursting from exhaustion already had about half a dozen harpoon heads that went out of their cylindrical shafts. The only thing that kept the 3 to 4 remaining team members was the fact that their hearts demanded the blood of their team’s killers!!
And this was just one of the 3 battlefields, the first one to start…
…