READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 9: Chapter 8
Deep within the abyss, the sound of metal and cracked earth echoes throughout the empty hall. Each strike clash creating a small gust of wind, sometimes weak, small, and yet impressive shockwave. Tall green An armoured person with ridiculous body proportions and a half-naked dude duel with no mere human could catch up. With a bulky and heavy body, swift movement to deliver a lethal uppercut slash of the sword, and quick punching and kicking if the opportunity arises, but lacking sophisticated skill or experience to actually execute such action. The other combatant lacks a weapon but, with more agile and powerful strength, casually parries and counterattacks with a combination of boxing and magic strikes in the form of energy bullets. In the distance, these two fought with equal fury and seriousness, given of heavy air worthy of a warrior from the past. Or so we thought.
KABOOM!!!!?*
"You piece of shit. Stop Ultra Instinct me" as I try to punch that stupid robot with my left hand only to hit the floor.Eve skilfully evaded it and disappeared from my sight like a ghost.
With full power skill, Andreline I managed to keep up his movement a bit despite the bulky armour I'm wearing. The fact is I might look like a Space Marine is rock as hell baby. Unfortunately, the downside is I can't maintain this power too long, or else I might suffer the same fate as Goku with his Kaioken. Even with little training, a short time will never be enough for me to achieve perfect control. Hey, I'm not a genius, nor does the system give me more cheat. I totally appreciate it if I got more than I have.
"Hahaha, it is just you are slow, or maybe your ridiculous piece of scrap armour hindered your movements." He evaded to the left swiftly and raised his right hand to conjure another magic bullet. I didn't give him time as I kicked a small rock debris from the crater I created earlier. This consumes my stamina as I gasp for air desperately.
Taaang!!!!*
"Gah!! Why you." Stun for a moment.He starts to become annoyed and begins to take me seriously. Taking his stand and staring at me with murderous intent.
Despite the fight not even reaching half 5 minutes, the situation was already as hot as the Sahara desert. With no attempt to evade my attack, Eve rushed at me and readied to deliver a powerful cross punch. Caught off guard and tired as I almost reach my body and flesh limit, not counting armour's bothersome weight, makes me incapable of evading, let alone any attempts to try to block such an attack. Eve's casual punch can kill mere humans easily, let alone his serious version. With my death almost unavoidable, Eve first looked so slow. I'm waiting, but it never comes. Dozens of orange light bullets struck down Eve, pushing him to the wall.
Not long after a small explosion appears, it makes a loud noise and smoke for a couple of rounds until it stops. Due to the shockwave, some rubble from the ceiling fell down and struck the stunned Eve flat under the heavy stone. Some of the bullets ricocheted earlier and almost hit me, but a dense energy barrier erected fast enough to save my poor face from a blow to smithereens.
"Tsk, don't forget about me, you f@ck toys," said a very pissed-off Shirogane from her usual cool side. While her rifle barrel was still burning hot and smoke from the barrel. Emil also helps a lot by creating a magic circle in midair from his pointy stick hand. Suddenly my body seems refreshed from the fatigue I accumulated during the fight Although not by much but still better than nothing.
"Wait a minute, if you had this ability from the start, why didn't you help me earlier?" I scream at Emil out of frustration. I'm not a trained fighter from babyhood, so a little stun earlier almost gave me a heart attack, if not because of my near superhuman body. Our little comedy cut short as half-naked gay robots scream while pushing the rumble out.
THUD!!*
"Bastard!!! You beach. I slaughtered you to pieces." A really angry local non-binary person is really pissed with Shirogane. Some kind of spiky purple flame aura surrounds his body while he is hunched over while screaming.
If he was a living man, I swear I could see his vein bulging out, almost popping out from the skin. Without thinking, Shirogane pointed her rifle and was ready to press the trigger but was stopped by Adam's telekinesis push. Sonic boom echoes once again, and its momentum is powerful enough to knock Shirogane and me around. Thanks to Emil's quick action, Shirogane didn't suffer any damage due to the transparent barrier instantly erected. I manage to recover quickly, only feeling my feet, and resume my whatever stand I think while holding the sword handle with one hand.
"Please don't stop the duel too early. Don't want to spoil his mood more than it should. Please continue your fight," he said casually in playful and yet gentlemanly manners. This rubbed me the wrong way; furthermore, how good it looks. If it was 2B, I would want to smash, but this. Instead I will give him a vertical slash and a ''oraora' barrage like certain purple-haired teenage boys did to cyborg space lizards or adult-looking teenagers to get vampires.
"HAAAAAAHHH!!!!" Loud and powerful scream from Eve after scream earlier and rush at Shirogane with bloodlust.
This time his movement is faster than earlier, and even with the help of skill, I still struggle to keep up. Not to mention 3 minutes or so straight He just enjoys playing with food, which is me. He should succeed if not because of Emil and. The tips of the blade manage to strike his back, crushing him into the floor, stopping his moment in an instant. In a split second before clashing with the barrier, Emil's crate at last split second.
The extended blade from my blade up to 30 meters is kind of handy here. It was long enough to reach him and my place, where I'm standing not too far from them. Never had a chance to fully explore all the sword functions; either way, it works. While we fight for a short time, I feel I'm getting stronger as my Andreline skill manages to give my eye the ability to follow Eve's movement in the last second. But I'm tired like hell once again, even worse than before. Probably break my limit or something for me to use this kind of strength.
"Huff* Huff* Huff* Where are you going, princess? I'm over here. Sheet, I can't feel my leg." I didn't need to do a poker face as the golden visor blocked my half-dead face like those runners after long hours of a marathon could make.
"Why are you" struggling to move from the impact arlier?" Despite his physical appearance looking perfectly fine, aside from dust and clothes scratches from my sword.
His robotic body might have a problem for a bit. Not to mention I am still pressing the sword, rendering him unable to ever get up. But he continues to resist, and every inch he rises, my strength diminishes by the second. The blade edge managed to break through Eve's supposedly skin-like armour, revealing metallic skin behind his artificial synthetic white skin. When he managed to squat, his free right hand grabbed the sword and lifted it up to the sky. Since I'm too focused on grabbing the handle too tight, I am also in the sky.
"What the..." Before I could release my grip, Eve smashed me to the ground as hard as he could. Coughing blood from my mouth almost made me lose my consciousness.
The golden visor shattered along with some part of my armor. The pose I made while lying on the floor was eerily similar to certain orange-gi martial arts practitioners for some reason. Eve managed to stand up and stare at me with very, very annoying looks. My consciousness almost faded away, and my eyelids shut, and everything after this once again will not be registered in my memory.
"Fuk... For a human, you're pretty strong. But in the end" his mid-speech was interrupted by a burst gunshot.
Brrrtttt!!!*
Eve, with all his might, managed to evade, but some of the bullets managed to pierce through, making him no longer quick on his feet. But Shirogane didn't let this chance slip through, so she continued doing suppressing fire in burst shots and tried to hit him. While no longer possessing a mobile advantage, it is still fast for normal humans, even with a guide assistant or aimbot, to actually hit. He retreated back to Adam and hid behind him for cover.
"(Sheet... His fast even receiving some heavy damage.That damn glasses pain in the @$$ with his telekinesis thing.Not to mention Razak is down right now.) Emil, if you have magic tricks, please do it now." Sweat falls from her forehead, and her feet feel cold. Her finger on the trigger shivers, and she begins to get nervous and almost succumbs to losing her cool. Emils didn't say anything and stood behind her motionless.
"Hmm... Don't tell me," a shocked expression from Adam's face. Before he could do anything, the bluish-white, blinding light consumed the entire chamber, blinding both humanoid constructs.
Then it began to shrink. Faint electric crackling and shimmering sound fills the quiet and empty room for mere seconds until it's no longer By the time their cognitive system rebooted Both Razak and Shirogane are gone, leaving only heavily damaged power armour Razak was. Despite that, the armour is still functioning somehow. But Emil's body stayed behind for whatever the reason.
"GODDAMMIT!!! That old fossil got us in the first half. Tell me why Network brought that thing with us again," screamed Eve with frustration.
"I don't detect any sign of them in this ruin, let alone that 'WEAPON' energy signature. The only thing I know is that the human on the surface, along with the hideous creature from whatever they are, comes from.
"You mean he abandoned his current body behind?Where?" he asked while heading towards Emil's former body.
"I don't know. Probably up there, as he is not as strong as he used to be. But remember that most machine construction physiology still has his essence. He is just that plain powerful; he alone can wage a war with our creator singlehandedly, as well as represent the human race itself. It's just that his will to live is not that strong anymore. We somehow win, and despite we were created to counter him, we still need to use his part to exist. But now upon seeing him, I feel conflicted." A deep thought playing Adam's processing ability to decipher the information he gathered so far.
"Now I think about it. We... I don't feel we are like we are supposed to be. There is something messing with my processor right now. But I can quite get it," said Eve after cooling down after smashing Emil's with his powerful kick. Destroying it with a single kick.
"Perhaps you're right. But right now let's clean up the trash above us first. I want to see how great this HUMAN is, the android worshipped like a god. What made them special and unique from our creator in a practical way?" Gentlemen and cool tone transform into eerie and cold voice. He raised his right hand to the air, signalling something.
Countless machines, from grunt into giant behemoth, arise from their long slumber. Gears begin to spin, and generators begin to heat up. Powering the entire machine body to move. While some have trouble because of rust and other factors related to time, they still manage to move. The quiet and empty ruin begins to spark life, and many machines head towards the surface with unrelenting fury. While the majority of them didn't even have basic self-awareness, the basic instinct to destroy the enemy as a primary function still runs perfectly.
While the more intelligent one, especially Goliant, and any machine with a unique design just follow their leader, a mixture of fear for obedience and a sense of curiosity. On the network during their time on earth, many of them gain sentience through human information gathered from data banks and relics. From mimicry, turn into genuine passion and finally obsession. Some who live long enough become corrupted and were purged from the network but are still under reservations for study purposes. Now all of them want to meet their former mortal enemy, idol of worship, and object of their fascination, which can finally be achieved. Little did they know someone or something with higher power had something to do for both machine and human in this world.
[3 HOURS LATER]
[GRAND CANYON REGION]
[WUNDERWAFFLE EXCAVATION SITE, MESS HALL]
Everyone inside is acting like normal, but the truth is people are as restless as ever. Since the return of the expedition team, we have received grave news about the failure of the ruin exploration and Marshall disappearing. Long after that huge rise of enemy hostiles inside the ruin, ready to burst out from the tiny door they made. Many still sceptical about the ''only'' entrance exist. From the survivor's story alone, the description of the enemy at first was laughable, but upon facing them head-on, they changed their mind completely. While it is still manageable, like dealing with space bugs, the spring toy robot's weird yet childish design makes them not look that scary and threatening. This is before command takes them more seriously.
For the first official encounter, the enemy, numbering in the hundreds, is a small, rusted state of bipedal robot with a couple of bigger versions with different body parts, like a bigger leg and hand body part, making the enemy look chubby and goofier. Troopers find no problem dispatching them with ease at the choke point, but upon the second wave, it changes everything. Ferromag SMG, despite its sufficient velocity to penetrate machine armour, was overwhelmed and managed to get close for the first official encounter casualties.
This command has issues with red alert and starts sending reinforcements and waiting for orders.
Due to the troopers current equipment being ineffective against the enemy, high command thinks and suggests sending a highly trained Marine squad as support and probably with prototype weapon. Of course, a new addition of troopers with more powerful gear, like swapping the SMG Ferromag with the prototype compact and small Gauss rifle. New Marine squadron assigned here currently eating in the corner of the mess hall. This new unit possesses another prototype CMC series power armour not that different from 400's variant. Some possess heavy armour for better protection and load capacity to carry more heavy weapons or light armour for greater mobility. Since it was a major makeshift design, high command tried to test armour design in current conflicts. Probably for future reference when the military decides to retire the current power armour series in the far future. At least five people eating together and discussing something.
"So, Caps, do you think Marshall is dead down there? You know, get crushed by oversized, rusted children's toys," said the Irish descent man while eating his chilli hotdogs. His appearance has wavy, light ginger hair colour. Sporty and muscular with sturdy shoulders and a give aura of easygoing and a little hotheaded personality. His name is Patrick O'Brien.
"Hahaha, you think so?. You are saying our leader easily died by children's toys. He is very tough despite his young-looking age. Cut by a dark brown-skinned man with a beard and moustache with a bald head. In terms of height, he is the tallest, and in terms of weight, he is the biggest. Despite his impression, he is actually a cool and friendly guy. His name is Abraham Douglas.
"Now we talk about it, Douglas. How old is he again?"
"I don't know, Brien. Probably late 20s or something In terms of physical appearance.But some rumour says he is old enough.Probably during our great-great-grandparent crash-landed here.Reason maybe he is using left over government secret technology that happen they got inside that ship"
"Cut it out. Those baseless rumours are nothing but well... rumors. Probably born after supernatural ability, he first shows up and is very capable of leading our colony from ashes. Some girls once saw him moving unnaturally fast and fluidly even inside cumbersome power armour on the training field. Heck even surpassed Rising Star rookie Shirogane in terms of aptitude. Not to mention his management skills. I mean, look at that place; it rebuilt faster than it should have. Not to mention the army managed to regain lost assets and even acquire new toys for us to play with. What do you think, Raja? Another voice was cut, but this time it was more feminine. Blond hair with a ponytail style and her green eyes. Her name is Jennifer Carter. She pointed her index finger at another male opposite her table.
"If our Marshall is capable of leading us despite his young-looking age, I have no problem and might welcome it. We need a new generation to lead us towards the future.About the rumour, it might have some grain of truth at least about him having supernatural ability. How about you, Captain Eric?" said the man with a firm voice with a certain royal air surrounding him. With dark brown hair and a facial face from Southeast Asia. Full name: Raja Iskandar Shah. His eyes look straight at the last individual for confirmation.With facial features resembling those of the British with brown hair. A certain air of leadership surrounding him.
"Honestly, I didn't think about such a thing currently. I'm more concerned about the performance of our makeshift power armour in future ngagements. Not to mention with the increasing number and new types of enemies, the command expects us to fight them flawlessly." Voices of concern echo among the groups.
"Whatever you think, caps. I have high hopes in your leadership to pull us through. I mean, it's better than the space bug we usually fight. Change of pace can sharpen our tools and gears." Brian tries to lighten Eric's mood.
"Always know how to cheer me up, Brien. Anyway, after our lunch, Base XO wants to brief us about our upcoming assignment here."
"You mean rescue mission, right?" Ask Raja after finishing his lunch.
"I don't know, but one thing I'm very sure of. High Command will not give up on Marshall yet. Chuckling * As you said, Jennifer, before he probably had magic on his side."
"Magic of what? Friendship or Liberty.Not to mention Marine Ace Shirogane probably helping Marshall to survive down there.Lucky bastard, I say. She gives a small laugh before continuing drinking her orange juice.
"Hmm... Did I sense jealousy here? Is our beauty in our squad jealous of younger women? Hahaha!!! This is gold." Before Brien could finish, a mug flew straight to his face, knocking him down.
"Shut up, redhead. Just I didn't like how she managed to move flawlessly with the boobs of hers. The last part she said in a small whisper only she could hear.
"Anyway, find me on Barrack if something urgent happens." Raja stepped out not to tick certain blonde girl ego.
"XO is calling me in his office. See you soon in the briefing area ASAP. And Captain Eric also moved away from the mess hall, starting to head towards the XO office. After putting his tray away and washing his hands, he heard Jennifer and Brien continue their shenanigans while Douglas laughed like watching live comedy drama.
[AT THE SAME TIME]
[EASTERN GARRISON]
[TUNDRA PLAIN, 20 km FROM COMMAND CENTRE]
[FRONTLINE OF EASTERN DEFENSIVE PERIMETER GARRISON]
[SMALL HILLS, TEMPORARY COMMAND TENT]
In a cold and harsh environment. The defender stood still and vigilant in the surrounding area. The guns loaded, the tank engine roared, and the power armour made a heavy step, making a relentless patrol of the entire area. The entire base is a place that never sleeps. It would be lively if not for the imminent attack that could happen in this very moment. On top of the hills, there lies a command post station there to oversee the frontiers.
The highest-ranking there was Captain Titus, the one who was responsible in the previous battle against the machine onslaught. He is still wearing ocean blue power armour even though his subordinates advised him to take it off, but he refused to do so. He is currently reviewing the report and tactical data given by Lt. General Nikolai as guidelines about enemy units. While his mind was absorbing the information and processing it, he was interrupted by his man from his armour comm link.
"/Sargent Aramuthim radar monitor team reporting.Captain Titus, our radar has detected massive movement from the east, 50 clicks away. It's not moving yet, but the number is accumulating up to 1000 since the last encounter. At this rate, not even reinforcement could be any help. Request a preemptive strike using a siege artillery barrage in enemy land, sir.\"
"No, we can't send our tanks beyond our border. Let them close a little before letting loose our cannon. Alert all our men and ready their weapons. I will call the command centre for support. Continue observing them, Sargent. Dismissed"
"Roger." Right after the call ended, troopers entered his tent and gave a salute.
"Sir, 1st Lieutenant Marcus Fenix of the 4th Trooper Company reporting in." He then gives Titus some kind of USB drive before returning to his place. He inserted one of the slots on his right arm, and his HUD began to show content inside.
"1st Lieutenant, ready your men within 12 hours and wait in front of the tent. Any questions?"
"Not going to ask about the new toys Lt. General gave us to play with, sir?" Answering with a smirk on his face and a confident voice like a true man.
"I already know some, but for now, rest first along with your men. Tonight our journey will be rough ahead."
"How about some couple of whisky I somehow brought with me? Need to loosen some of those tight screws, Captain." He magically got out a bottle of whisky behind his ass. This caught Titus off guard. His stern demeanour loosens a bit, and he begins to smile.
"Very well Old friend. But make sure to write a report and apologise letter after mission done"
Time Remaining for Escape
[11 months, 14 days, 21 hours]