Chapter 25: Lone Wolf, Lone Slayer (2)

The first Scylla and the rifters protecting him all assaulted me at once when they saw the damage I caused in just a few seconds. They didn't hesitate and attacked me with all their power.

Even if I was under the boosting effect of Red Mist, I once again realized my biggest weakness : it was extremely difficult for me to defend several attacks at the same time with only one arm.

I didn't have the choice but to follow the same strategy as when I was facing the waves of surface monsters on Kar'goth ; I took the blows that I considered the least dangerous and concentrated on blocking or dodging the most devastating attacks.

Thus, after only a few seconds of brawling with so many foes, I was already starting to suffer injuries.

A rifter that looked like a ferocious beast managed to bite my shoulder before I could pierce his skull with my Dark Blade, I didn't even have the time to remove its teeth still stuck in my flesh before another rifter hit me in the torso with a Singularity energy shot.

We fought for long minutes, and the more time passed the more blows I received.

After using Dark Explosion several times and even going as far as to use a Void Surge to eliminate the rifters who were ganging up on me, I got hit by a powerful shock wave from one of the two Scyllas.

Although the shock wave didn't throw me very far and its strength wasn't great, I could feel inside me that my synaptic circuitry got disrupted and my movements were slowing down. This attack was not meant to hurt me, but rather to incapacitate me so the Scyllas could finish me, once the rifters exhausted me enough.

I had a hard time resisting the rifters' combined attacks while avoiding the sneaky scyllas spells. I also had to be careful not to let them chant in their native language ; as soon as they started an incantation, I used Void Step to reduce the distance and prevent them from finishing their incantation.

Unfortunately, they soon realized that they could use this strategy to bait me. Sometimes they would start an incantation and before I could reach them they would stop chanting and suddenly attack me with their own energy blades.

Even though I knew it was a trap, I still had to take the bait. I didn't know the extent of their power and I didn't want to risk letting them finish a spell that could be strong enough to take me out, like the previous fireball.

I struggled for long minutes, fighting off more than twenty rifters and two scyllas in their Templar clones. When I felt my Red Mist starting to run out, I decided to release a Void Surge at maximum power, just like I did to destroy the headquarters.

"That's enough now, Void Surge !!"

The scyllas understood that my attacks with the Void energy were the most powerful at my disposal and they tried to flee when I launched my attack.

But it was already too late for them, a flash of bright light covering the whole area appeared and a violent explosion sound echoed in the whole mega-structure.

After the light dissipated, nothing remained of the rifters around me except some pieces of flesh and limbs lying on the ground. As for the Scyllas, they completely disappeared, swallowed up and totally obliterated by the instantaneous black hole that my Void Surge skill summoned.

The fight lasted for almost an hour, and even if I was able to hold my own against 3 scyllas in their Templar clones and about 50 rifters, my condition was worrying. I lost a lot of blood and Red Mist was still activated and consuming more of it.

I started to feel as weak as when I had returned to the golden hangar after fighting the Giant Ants.

I had to force myself to not fall unconscious again.

'Gladia, I couldn't complete the mission. I got detected too fast and a Scylla ship has already arrived on site. Teleport me up, we need to get out of here as soon as possible.'

I decided to cancel the mission and return to the ship. While I still wanted to fight them, I was not greedy and I didn't want to risk my life for no reason.

'...'

'Gladia ? Do you receive ?'

'...'

I tried many times to contact Gladia, but I received no answer.

This worried me, so I started to head to the cache where I had deposited the body of the Templar clone I had brought back with me from the flagship, before getting stopped by a low voice that sounded behind me, chilling my blood.

"Where do you think you're going, Heretic ?"

I didn't need to turn around to know the owner of that voice.

I kept my calm, without turning my head yet.

"Never could I have expected a deficient specimen such as you to take head-on three of my brothers and their escort. While the last time on Kar'goth I did let you slip between my grasp, this won't be the same now."

I was still not moving, just standing straight and listening to the one the Scyllas called Legatus when I was on the mother-ship.

After checking my surrounding, I didn't detect any other Scyllas. It seems that he came alone to catch me. The Templar clone body I did hide earlier was nearby, if I could reach it before Legatus kill me, I might have a chance to escape.

Before coming here, I was sure that I could kill a few Scyllas or even a commander on my own, but I am also clear-headed and I know that I would have no chance against such a big shot like Legatus.

My objective is to survive long enough so I can get back in contact with Gladia, and for this, I have to give my all.

This is my only solution.

I slowly turned myself to face the Scylla inside his golden and highly advanced clone, and I said.

"You guys thought you could control us as if we were mere livestock waiting to be used as cannon fodder in your galactic war. You were wrong."

The Scylla's templar clone armor started to glow and emit strange lights and noises.

"You are nothing more than specimens for our research. If you and the other survivors of your species had a few glimpse of honor remaining, you should have accomplished your role and died for us and our Revered Mother."

While Legatus was preparing his attack, I was also charging as much Void energy as I could in my left arm. The Red Mist skill also started to intensify itself, as if my own body knew that this fight might be the last one.

'Tassadar, are you watching ? If you are, do not hold back anything. We won't get out of here alive if we... Or should I say, if I don't give my all.'

As if my body reacted to my thoughts, the Red Mist intensified until I could feel my blood being sucked out of my body to be transformed into the dense red fog released from my armor, slowly covering the whole area around me and Legatus.

"You talk about honor ? Where is the honor in waiting to be butchered by some alien freaks like you ?"

I paused my words, and before attacking him with all my might I added.

"Only fools pledge life to honor."

___

Inside the flagship core, an hour ago, Gladia was watching Jun fight on the surface.

He did well at first, unfortunately, he wasn't as good as Alice when it came to covert ops missions and he ended up getting detected before finding the target.

Gladia knew that it wasn't a big problem, as long as Jun finds out the Scylla commanding the mega-structure fast enough, he will still have enough time to finish the mission and escape.

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She observed him fighting with multiple enemies until everything darkened, as if someone or something was jamming the flagship sensors.

She immediately appeared in the control room with her holographic body and asked the operators drones.

[What is happening ?]

"Scylla ship detected. Class : Stealth Corvette. It is jamming our sensors."

[Prepare five squads for boarding, do not shoot it down with our weapons yet. I don't want this corvette to be destroyed before we find and retrieve what is jamming our sensors, we need to study it.]

"Ship-mistress, we detected a single teleportation signature."

[Did they send only one unit ??]

"Yes."

[What is happening ?...]

Gladia started to worry about Jun. Even if her consciousness was in the flagship core, if Jun dies and her soul inside his body gets destroyed, her consciousness alone wouldn't last long before slowly fading away.

Even if she was worried about her soul, in reality, she was more anxious about Jun's condition.

All the time she spent with him, inside his head, unconsciously created a strong link between them akin to having unbelievably strong feelings for each other, as if they were two half of the same being.

They had a fusional relationship, and they needed each other.

That is why she was so dissatisfied when Jun told her about his decision to venture into the mega-structure completely alone.

[Alpha Zero, Douglas, Alice, prepare yourselves for combat. A Scylla ship has been detected warping into the sector, it is now in orbit around the mega-structure. This ship is jamming our detection systems and we lost contact with Jun.

You need to board this corvette and disable the jamming system.]

'Roger.'

'Affirmative.'

'I. Shall. Obey. Ship-mistress.'

They all answered Gladia, and rushed to the hangars to join the boarding assault team.

Meanwhile, Gladia was desperately trying to contact Jun, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't get any answer. She only could know if he was still alive or not, thanks to the link to her soul still in his body.

If a corvette arrived on site so fast after the distress signal has been emitted, the Scylla reinforcement fleet that chased the Lance of Kar'goth for so long might also arrive sooner than expected.

Gladia needed to extract Jun from the mega-structure and prepare for the enemy fleet's arrival.

[Deploy a Battle-drone battalion with an Elite-drone and a Reaper platoon to the last known location of the Ship-master as soon as possible. They shall find him and assist him until we bypass the jamming system and teleport him back.

Disable the cloaking system and switch to battle mode. Redirect our energy to the ship armament and shield deflector. Deploy an interceptors escadrille and two bombers sections to patrol the area.

Be ready for combat.]

"Yes, Ship-mistress."

After Gladia gave her orders, all the operator drones answered and hastily went to their task.

[Do not die, Jun.]

Gladia couldn't help but feel anxious.

When she took control of the flagship core in the golden hangar, she unconsciously assimilated remnants of the former ancient AI who was in charge of the ship.

It didn't affect her much at first, even after multiple analyses, she couldn't detect any secondary effect from absorbing those remnants.

However, after some time, she started to feel a major change inside of her.

Gladia's species, the Nihil Conscientia, are etheric beings like the Scyllas. While they share the same kind of existence and their bodies have the same characteristics, they are different in everything else.

The Scyllas are cold and have trouble feeling or expressing emotions, but the Nihil Conscientia are joyous and naturally optimistic. The Scyllas consider themselves superior to every living being, while the Nihil Conscientia always considered themselves inferior to the other Void natives.

They are perfect opposites, like fire and water, black and white, good and evil.

Nevertheless, because of their etheric and intangible existence, like the Scyllas the Nihil Conscienta were unable to feel any organic stimulus.

No hunger, sleepiness, ecstasy or dread.

When Gladia felt her behavior change and she started to feel new kinds of emotions and sensations, she at first denied them. She thought it was only the aftermath of her fusion with Jun, an organic life form.

The more time passed, the more she felt like she was slowly transforming, until now when she is much more anxious than she should have been.

After being trapped in the Netherite stone, fusing with a human, and then having absorbed remnants of an ancient AI, she was now evolving and for the first time in her life, she felt an emotion only organic beings could feel : Stress.

'Gladia, we are all ready and waiting for orders.'

Douglas's cold voice brought her back to reality.

[Go.]

Watching the bombers-type heavy interceptors which also served as troop transport leaving the hangar, Gladia internally wished them luck.

Everything was now resting on their shoulder.

[Do not fail.]

'We won't.'

___

The black glass of my helmet was broken, leaving a hole in which we could see a part of my bloody face.

Inside my helmet, I was looking at my status on a piece of glass remaining in my visor.

An image of my body, which was representing my current état, was covered in red.

All of my body parts and limbs were damaged, my energy was running low and the only reason I could maintain Red Mist until now is only because of my mental will.

I knew that if I yield now, everything I fought so hard for would be done.

It would be the end for me, but also for my squad, my crew and my ship.

After battling for more than an hour, I still couldn't get in contact with any of them, not even Gladia.

I don't know what Legatus did, but it is so effective that I can't even scan my surroundings. It feels as if the whole area got covered in a sea of parasite waves since the moment Legatus appeared.

"You are outstanding, B213-84. If I wasn't the one fighting you, never could I have trusted someone telling me that a mere Deficient specimen was able to take me head on in my Paladin clone."

"You guys...are too...arrogant."

I couldn't even talk without catching my breath after each word. One of my lungs got pierced by the strange sword Legatus was using and it got filled with blood.

Just breathing was making me suffer intense pain.

If I didn't have the black matter keeping my body functioning even after my internal organs failed me, I would have been dead for a long time now.

I had bruises and cut marks all over my body, my black armor started to retract in some places and showed my naked skin, as it could not regenerate itself anymore.

Despite what I said to Legatus, I was also too arrogant.

I knew I couldn't fight a Scylla leader, especially not Legatus who seemed extremely highly ranked in their society, and yet I still tried.

Trusting my luck once again. 'Maybe, I can survive or somehow kill him ?' was what I thought.

Such a fool. I should have tried to escape as soon as I heard Legatus' voice behind my back.

I could barely stand up and raise my right arm, with my weakened Dark Blade that seemed to be on the verge of fading away, like a weak candle vainly trying to resist a stormy wind.

Legatus, certain of his win, didn't give me the coup de grâce to finish me yet. He slowly approached me.

Once again, his pride took control of his reasoning. He wanted to humiliate me as much as I, a vulgar and lowly organic life form, have humiliated him.

"This is your last chance to stay alive. I will give you the same choice we gave you when you and your trash species woke up.

Do you want to live and struggle, or horribly die now ?"

I stared at him right in the eyes, intense hate burning inside of me. Just remembering the first day I woke up without my memories, without knowing where I was or even who I was, made me remember the first and worst event I had to endure since my awakening : the death of my loved one.

"..."

Seeing me silent and still on guard, Legatus stopped two meters in front of me, and said with a haughty tone.

"Pledge allegiance to us, and we will keep you and your squad alive. While I received the order to kill you, this is the first time that I feel the need to disobey.

I do not want to kill such a valuable resource for our research, keeping you alive would be more beneficial for us, especially after I've personally seen how you and your squad improved so much in only a few years.

A lowly human able to fight me head-on and last more than an hour is the best proof that only by controlling the Void energy, our Void Rifters will be complete and able to fulfill their roles.

It might be the secret for a perfect fusion with the Holy Children."

"You...are...crazy."

"I respect you, human. You might consider us as the villain, but all we do and all we ever did was protect our Revered Mother, and by extension protect two different universes.

Our Revered Mother is the one who keeps the link between these two superimposed universes stable.

If the Void Legions destroy her, they will not only destroy both the Singularity and the Void ; they will also condemn the two universes who are linked from these two realms."

Legatus's tone changed, and he started to talk more compassionately.

"Become loyal to me, and we will reset all your memories. You'll be able to serve us not as a lowly and deficient Void Rifter, but as the Progenitor of the soon-to-be completed Void Rifters army."

Legatus stood straight in front of me. While he tried to hide his emotions, I knew that his nice talk was just a way to bait me and humiliate me more deeply.

I was sure that he was lying.

Despite his appearance and acting that seemed friendly and generous, I could see his treacherous and cruel look behind the black eyes of his clone.

"I...already...told...you..."

I straightened up myself as much as I could to face him heads on, to show him that I will never bend my knees before them.

"Only...fools...pledge...life...to...honor!"

At the exact same time I pronounced these words, a powerful explosion resounded in the sky and made every cell in my body vibrate.

I looked up, and I saw Legatus' corvette getting destroyed and separated into 2 pieces. It was falling from its orbit and was plunging straight into the mega-structure.

Just after the explosion, I felt the waves that were clouding and jamming the whole area slowly dissipate.

I took advantage of this opportunity and the inattention of Legatus who also watched his corvette fall to use the little strength I had left, and cast a last Void Step to create some distance.

"I see. Why did I try to persuade such lowly specimens… Only death shall awaits you."

Legatus, not stressed at all about losing his ship or letting me escape just walked to me, who was leaning on a wall 40m from him.

I couldn't get further, but it was enough.

I couldn't help but smile brightly under my broken helmet.

'Finally.'

Multiple golden-purple ray beams appeared next to me.

One, three, five, ten, twenty, fifty, a hundred...

In just a few seconds, several hundred rays hit the ground like thunderbolts.

In each of those golden-purple rays was standing imposing shadows of different shapes and sizes, which slowly revealed themselves.

My own loyal soldiers.

An army of tall juggernaut made of ancient metal advanced and took position in a line between me and Legatus, those heavily armored drones all had the two heavy cannons on their shoulders pointing in his direction.

Black shadows were standing behind them, surrounding me. I've never been so happy to see those horrific beings with no visage and their long limbs, who seemed to come straight from a nightmare.

Once my battle drones and reapers arrived, I once again looked up at the reddish sky of the Singularity.

I saw my lovely ancient flagship, the Lance of Kar'goth, slowly advancing through the debris of the destroyed corvette falling down from its orbit.

'It tooks you long enough.'

[Indeed.]