SCC Chapter 27 Fall of Olympus(3)
The multitude of eyes gazing up at him as if he were a God were irritating. Reed landed with a frown upon his face. They were a ways from the shield since the people had retreated the moment their armada had arrived.
Hooded figures appeared infront of the gathered crowd, bowing to him.
"I told you. I don't like this behavior of yours." said an exasperated Reed.
"...why are these people attacking the shield. You clearly know that they can't win even if it miraculously breaks. So, why are you allowing them to throw away their lives!" shouted Reed, pointing towards the scattered blood and limbs, close to the translucent shield.
"We couldn't stop them. They were riled up." one person spoke up.
"Reed, this was a very bad decision! Endangering other people's lives for the sake of revenge isn't how the Federation is meant to be! We are above the sects! We shouldn't act as if we are beneath them!" chastised the president upon landing, having first made sure to create a barrier to isolate them.
" From now on you won't be allowed to step foot outside the flagship! That will only become moot when we find Lily Toba!" after that order, one Reed didn't have the logic to refute, the president turned towards the gathered crowd. There was exhaustion within their eyes and injures among a few, yet even with the deaths of their comrades, their eyes were bright within this night, faintly glowing with the minute embers being supplied to them from their nascent dantians.
"You are a very determined people. I can see it within your eyes, the will to fight for what is right. But, I say in good conscience that you leave the rest to us."
"We want to fight too. Just sitting around and letting foreigners do all the work wouldn't sit well with us." one of the people spoke up.
"Having pride and will is good. But, can you reasonably tell me that you can win? How many have you lost? How many have they lost? Think about it carefully. We have the power to take them down. But if you insist on participating, you will only be getting in the way."
"All of you don't really know me. So let introduce myself while also making a promise. I, Julien Taylor, president of the Federation, promise you... That we will overthrow those tyrants hiding behind the shield and bring equality and freedom, back to your state."
After that, the crowd was escorted away, back into the forest, quite a distance away, while the Federation started preparing for a lengthy seige, unloading weapons and ammo, while also setting up a perimeter around the shield dome.
Reed, back on the flagship, watched as the president, step by step, approached the shield, which was surrounding a relatively tall blue colored wall, which was crackling with tiny lightning Serpents.
A tall haired woman appeared just above, on the wall, looking down upon the man. She had dark short hair with ornaments placed within it to accentuate her beauty, just like the earrings and the many bangles on both arms, almost reaching her elbows. She was dressed in a short green skirt, while her face was the picture of arrogance, with a smirk painted across it.
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Since he was far from them, the details of the conversation failed to reach his ears. Now that he lacked something to occupy him, the worries about Lily started resurfacing again, making him antsy.
"Why aren't you out there?" He initiated conversation with Livia, who was joining him on the railing.
"Before that thing breaks, I won't be able to do much, just like the others. This will be a contest between machines." she answered while pointing towards the dome.
"I am curious about one thing. Why are you going so far for Lily?"
As they made small talk, the spiritual energy canons fired, eliciting small ripples on the shielding. But a surprise was unveiled towards the Federation in the next moment, as parts of the circular wall slid to the side, exposing huge muzzles, each charged with a blue light.
With the crackling of thunder, lightning destroyed many of the weapons that had been arrayed close to the dome.
"Those weapons!"
"That was the might of a Peak Core Formation cultivator! If I am not mistaken, even the Federal government can't produce that many, right?" exclaimed Reed.
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FCY 437, 2nd Month, Day 20, 8:42AM
Craters were everywhere, with the domed shield long shattered. Elemental energies that were lingering, capable of posing a threat to the nearby nature were being extinguished.
Ansel was using his darkness attribute of devouring to help dismantle an ice block that wasn't melting. If it was left here, months could pass before it could even start breaking down. It had been a result of one of the weapons that had appeared right before the shattering of the shield.
Even now, he still felt a chill at the quality and quantity of weapons possessed by Pantheon. The Federation had barely managed to create a few weapons capable of even injuring those in the Nascent Soul stage, yet these people had had as many as ten different types!
(Ansel! I need you to start looking for Ms. Toba.) a message only for his ears was transmitted, with his gaze moving towards the origin. It had been from above, from within the flagship.
(I still have to follow orders. When I finish this ice block, I will ask to be transferred towards the duty of searching for the fugitives.) He transmitted back.
He too, didn't want to do this. But it had been stipulated within the rules before joining that all those below the Nascent Soul stage were under the jurisdiction of the army. Meaning, they were obligated to accept orders.
(Ansel! There is some one I need you to find for me before any other person finds them.) another transmission reached his ears from a familiar comrade.
(Who?) he asked back. This time, he didn't search for the origin as he already knew the location.
(A woman, the one the president spoke with before the siege broke out.)
-----
Ansel stood leaning against the tree, lost within his own thoughts. And those thoughts pertained to Zeus and that elite contingent, the one he had been a part of before his desertion.
They hadn't shown their faces even once. Ansel was certain that with Zeus' pride and arrogance, there was no way he would have let Olympus be taken if he wasn't occupied by something even more important.
But, what important thing could be greater than securing Pantheon's continued existence? Was that woman, Lily Toba, really needed for his greater plans?
Many such questions plagued his mind while he waited for his partner to show up.
Just a few minutes later, footsteps attracted his attention, and not a moment later, Declan walked out of the bushes. Ansel raised an eyebrow at his expression, but ultimately decided not to speak about it.
"That woman is Hera, wife of Zeus." he revealed without any prompting.
'Boss gave me a task. If this woman is really the wife of Zeus, then she might be holding important information.' thought Ansel as he recalled her aura. During the cleansing of the battlefield, he had taken special care in registering her aura.
"This place has minute traces of her aura. It has dissipated enough for the layman to miss it, but I can feel it." spoke Ansel, after which, he led the way, making sure to chart a path that caused less disturbance.
From what he could glean, the woman had taken this route in escaping. And the suspicious thing about this, was the fact that she hadn't taken anyone else along with her.
(Is she alone, or are there others with her?) transmitted Declan. This was a surprising consideration from him. Most of the times, he didn't pay attention to any of such troublesome details. This woman had to be very important for him to ask questions of such a nature.
(She is alone. Why?)
(I don't want anyone to interrupt my battle with her.) he transmitted, with the feeling of relief also bleeding over.
So, there was something he held against the woman. That was what Ansel concluded, before making a signal to halt. Transmitting with thought would have been faster, but, the hand signal was a reflexive action he had been thoroughly trained in.
(What is it?) asked Declan.
But Ansel's attention was towards his surroundings, which were now saturated with dark attribute spiritual particles, ones he had been constantly releasing throughout their short journey.
He had detected an anomaly in the photons. The position of the sun was different from before. And that had tripped his mental alarm.
(Somethimg is subtly manipulating the atmosphere, mixing the real with the illusory.) He said after coming to a concrete answer.
(A bewildering formation perhaps?)
(Yes. But I believe this is on a higher level. It isn't boxing us in as we can still turn back. Instead, it's preventing us from continuing forward. If am not mistaken, it would have ultimately led us to another path, away from this area.) Ansel explained with amazement thick in his voice. Things related to espionage were exciting indeed.