Chapter 99: Battle

The Somali Terror looked at his surroundings, specifically at the warehouses where he could sense some faint presence.

“The ritual has been prepared. I am sure Ketzula, the God of Abominations, Desire, and the Ambitious, will be happy to receive my sacrifice,” General Kavuri commented proudly.

Ketzula.

Known for his worshippers who were all lunatics; his rituals were cruel and vicious.

However, the Somali Terror didn’t mind too much.

One more S-Rank to his cause could help bring the stupid war with the Lord of Mombasa to an end.

To the Somali Terror, the Lord of Mombasa was an idiot who thought he was a conqueror.

“I will go inside to rest to wait for the ritual,” Somali Terror commented with a bored tone.

“I understand. I’ll send you some maids...” General Kavuri replied with a sly smile.

Quite happy for his subordinate’s cunning, the Somali Terror walked towards the entrance and halfway there his expression changed.

A subtle change happened in the surroundings, as if something isolated them from reality and the world.

The next instant, a sense of danger spread throughout his body and the Somali Terror grabbed the daggers at his waist and half turned towards the enemy attack.

His daggers collided with an arrow and...

*BOOM*

A gigantic explosion was caused, sending everyone present flying.

The Somali Terror himself had trouble resisting the powerful shock-wave and ended up hitting the walls and flying into the mansion.

Those near them were A-ranks and, although they reacted in time, some received light wounds.

“My lord is b...”

*Bang*

One of the most loyal bodyguards approached with concern and caution, however, before he could help him up, a gunshot shattered his head, staining the wall with blood.

Only for the sound of the gunshot to instantly arrive.

“ENEMY ATTACK!” shouted General Kavuri at the top of his lungs.

A stupid warning, as someone fired a laser beam directly in their direction, being as flashy as it was impressive.

“Shit...”

Cursing inwardly, the Somali Terror abandoned his loyal bodyguards and at a great speed left that area of the mansion.

*BOOM*

An explosion echoed behind him, but the Somali Terror as someone who had focused on speed escaped the blast radius and could exit the mansion around a corner.

“WHO DARES TO ATTACK ME!” General Kavuri roared with fury and madness characteristic of him.

The answer was simple.

A young woman appeared in front of him and that woman punched him, spreading fierce lightning.

As General Kavuri had sensed something, he could protect himself with a psionic barrier, however, the blow sent him away.

At the same time, other individuals arrived.

A giant bear with red fur crashed into a fighter nearby, sending him flying.

Arrows arrived, causing further injuries to the already wounded, and to top it off, another group was closing in to attack.

They all wore masks of different colors with clothes of various designs.

However, the eyes of the Somali Terror were focused on those who were fixed on him.

The first was a male figure with drones swirling around him, the other was a female figure soaring as a wave of cold spread around her.

However, they went unnoticed as he saw the black arms come out of the back of a young woman who was staring at him.

The Somali Terror remembered the report he had read.

Alice Campbell, one of the ‘Protectors of Zerzura’, officially Rank A, however, it is quite possible that she had been hiding her strength.

Her innate ability is called [Domain of Darkness], but there are no details or information on her ability, however, it has been confirmed that she can swap arms for spears or other weapons giving her a great offensive advantage as well as a high defensive ability.

One of the few people who has been around since the creation of Zerzura and with her partner she has been working with and for Zerzura for five years.

They have high personal security but are presumed to be one of the few high-ranking people in Zerzura with strong relationships with both the Apicius Enterprise and the Church of Time and Space.

It is recommended that conflict be avoided and if a conflict has arrived, then Zerzura has moved on.

Remembering the warning from the report for which he had to pay a large amount of money, the Somali Terror took a deep breath as he released the S-Rank aura.

He knew there was no escape, and he also understood that the only way forward was to fight.

A bloody battle was about to begin.

******

*BOOM*

An explosion echoed in the distance as Oscar, in his bear form, struck his enemies.

*Bang*

Another shot rang out and this time Niko hit the wall where an enemy was taking cover, giving warning to the giant Alvar, who slashed with his sword at the wall and at the same time at the man hiding behind it.

In the distance, snow fluttered through the air and explosions echoed as Akira and Liam launched their attacks, fighting against an individual who disappeared at terrifying speed.

Near the mansion, Aurora cornered General Kavuri in pursuit, seeking to strike him with her lightning-impregnated fists.

Clémentine, who was watching the entire scene, gave an order to advance quickly towards the warehouse where the hostages were.

There were about three warehouses, and this was the one closest to their position.

The group moved quickly, while in the distance, the fighting continued with increasing intensity.

The battle was unbalanced, but not for their enemies, but for them.

They had Henrik, Akira, Oscar, and Liam as S-Ranks, but in general terms, the A-Ranks of their group were less compared to the enemy’s numbers.

Akira’s group was protecting themselves arduously with Santiago being the one to withstand the attacks while protecting Shao Ya, who was extending different spells to cover the group.

In another direction, Henrik’s group was in charge of attracting as many enemies as possible and Henrik himself ended up being stopped by several scattered A-Rank.

They were fighting humans and if they coordinated well, they could slow down an S-Rank, just as was now happening.

“What do we do? They’re all monsters!”

The group heard an exclamation near the warehouse entrance, and Clémentine signaled for them to stop.

—Andrés and Leslie, take charge. —Clémentine ordered using her small group’s telepathy network.

The named duo nodded, and Andrés deployed two drones that camouflaged themselves with the environment thanks to their holographic means.

The other teams were moving the battle away from them to allow their small group to save the hostages.

At the same time, they also got the A-Rank to enter the battle, leaving only B-Rank as those militiamen who were covering the warehouse, not knowing how to react.

That was the reason why the drones could go unnoticed. Then, when they were close, Andrés gave the signal.

“AGhhh...”

Both drones released a high voltage electrical wave and Leslie, with an anesthetic gun, fired two darts at the necks of both individuals.

Unable to defend themselves because of the high voltage of the drones, the darts penetrated their necks, and the next moment, they were immobile.

“Érica, our turn,” Clémentine said and walked into the warehouse as the sounds of combat continued in the distance.

As they cautiously entered, someone quickly rushed towards her, but Clémentine reacted by creating a psionic barrier between the two.

The figure hit the barrier and ended up backing away as it could not destroy it.

“Let us out!” shouted the hostage wearing rags, using a stick to hit the barrier.

“We’re here to help! Just calm down!” declared Clémentine in her loudest, yet most confident, tone of voice.

Hiding the fact that inside her heart had trembled when she was suddenly attacked.

“Zerzura’s forces have come to rescue the hostages. Please remain calm,” Clémentine ordered as she saw several figures look around hopefully.

There were also doubts among some of them, however, Clémentine did not have time to calm them all and the first thing she did was break the chains with which the hostages were tied.

They were not magical or reinforced chains, which made it possible for them to be destroyed with telekinesis.

“I need you to gather them together to send them away.” Clémentine requested and with a sincere look, she added. “Please follow our instructions. We still have two warehouses to check.”

Was she doing it right?

Clémentine didn’t know.

This situation was not a test and no matter what advice she had received or her training, she was nervous and her nerves made it difficult for her to calm others.

They had been locked up and held hostage for long enough, suffering the cruelties of General Kavuri, it made sense that some of them would be wary.

Perhaps sensing his sincere look or perhaps hearing that their group had no time, they all obeyed.

To Clémentine’s joy, there were no seriously injured people, and while there were some malnutrition, fatigue, and light wounds, it was not that serious.

Following Clémentine’s instructions, the hostages held hands with each other and then looked at her, waiting for her response.

Clémentine was not the one who moved, but Érica made a move.

Pulling out a scroll and using her magical energy, she tore it in half.

A translucent light covered the hostages, and they all disappeared completely.

They would reach the High Priestess Xaali and the scouts who would take care of them.

Seeing that they left no one inside, Clémentine and Érica left the warehouse.

“Let’s go,” Clémentine ordered as she saw no one had noticed them thanks to Andrés, who deployed drones that created a fake holographic view.

The group moved to the other warehouse swiftly as the battle continued.

Oscar as the primary force and Santiago as the second force was to attack and protect Shao Ya and Aeko, whose arrows were supporting the others.

They were facing an overwhelming number of enemies, but thanks to Oscar, who had the strength of an S-Rank in his bear form, they could cope.

Henrik, despite being an archer, was engaging in close combat against five A-Ranks, dodging at high speed and firing lethal arrows.

Laila was using her mental magic to disorient and cause disturbances, and even increasing the violent emotions of her opponents, so that they would risk attacking them, causing coordination to decay.

The giant Alvar waved his sword and guarded himself tenaciously while full armor covered his body, protecting him from the more lethal attacks of his opponents.

Occasionally, deadly shots came from the forest and painted the land red, leaving corpses or maimed militiamen.

Clémentine focused her mind.

The blood disgusted her and hearing the screams of pain, panic, and fear, was disturbing, however, she had to concentrate.

Those they were facing were enemies, who were in the service of a lunatic who was going to perform a ritual, and she concentrated on that point, pushing away any unnecessary thoughts or emotions.

Reflecting on the circumstances of her enemies right now, when dozens of lives depended on her performance, was the most pointless thing she could do.

“Come on. We need to rescue them all before things get complicated!” Clémentine ordered in a serious tone.

Her entire group nodded.

She was sure her enemies had their own hidden cards.

******

“Damn... Damn... Damn... DAMN!” shouting angrily, General Kavuri released a psionic wave that spread to Aurora.

Aurora had the armor’s barrier cover her as she moved away.

“Help me...”

“Please, I don’t want to die...”

“Why didn’t you help me?!”

Wails and pleas for help echoed in her ears, bringing back memories and recollections that shouldn’t have come out.

Still, Aurora kept her expression unperturbed and dodged the sword of an A-Rank swordsman, closing the distance in the process.

“AHHHHH!”

As she approached, she grabbed the swordsman’s wrist and twisted it upward, bending it in a way that wasn’t possible.

The scream of pain was the only real thing to be heard in her ears.

“Stop that bitch!” shouted General Kavuri sending a spear of psionic energy towards her.

That spear looked like an attack capable of piercing through the thick shell of a tank, however, Aurora could discern that it was a trap.

It was for such a reason that she unhesitatingly slammed her elbow into the head of the screaming swordsman and then kicked him in the chest, knocking her backwards right toward the psionic attack.

“AGh...”

The swordsman let out a cry of pain as a couple of ribs were broken by the kick, which was so hard that he went flying toward General Kavuri’s attack.

When the psionic spear pierced him, there was no blood or entrails spilled out, but...

“NO! Why shut up! Be quiet! BE QUIET!” the swordsman as he fell to the ground screamed, covering his ears.

General Kavuri was a psionic who not only performed physical attacks but performed mental attacks that caused his enemies to hear voices that manifested the regrets of those affected.

“You...” Growling angrily, General Kavuri pointed his finger, unleashing another mental attack.

Aurora avoided physical damage with her armor and charged forward, taking the other effects.

“You should have saved us...”

“Why didn’t you save us?”

“Aurora... Why didn’t you save us?”

She heard the voices of some girls in her ears and Aurora, forming a fist, charged forward, looking like an emotionless golem, obeying orders.

When Professor Miller told her that she lacked the ‘soul’ to act as a fighter, it was true, just as her gluttonous friend said, her movements resembled those of a golem... A fast, strong, and furious golem.

If it was before entering the Academy, this situation would have affected her, but now it was different.

Now she knew the reason she was charging forward.

She wanted to help and the best way was to completely stop this war and those who were causing so much damage.

Now was her chance.

Every step she took, the ground cracked beneath her feet and even though General Kavuri levitated backwards, Aurora pursued him with increased speed.

Until she caught up with him.

*BOOM*

Hitting with full force, General Kavuri’s psionic barrier and armor barrier shattered as the shock wave shattered the earth.

General Kavuri let the shock wave send him away to allow him to flee, however, she moved without missing the opportunity presented to her.

Using the teleportation of her battle suit whose cooldown time had passed, Aurora arrived at the place where General Kavuri would land.

Lightning surrounded her right fist as the ground cracked beneath her feet.

General Kavuri could only turn around too late to react to Aurora’s punch that hit the man’s cheek.

*BOOM*

With a thunderous sound, General Kavuri’s body spun through the air before hitting the ground hard.

The man’s face was burned, and his jaw was completely broken.

Still, General Kavuri stood up, showing how strong and tenacious he was.

“You will pay for your actions,” General Kavuri said, transmitting his voice with psionic energy.

Without waiting for Aurora to act, General Kavuri slit his wrists with a vicious grin.

Blood fell to the ground, and a demonic magic circle formed around them.

Demonic energy was emitted as General Kavuri dropped some blackish-colored organs into the magic circle.

“Oh, great Ketzula, lend me your power!” He shouted loudly and madly.

It was an emergency ritual in which he used as a sacrifice to himself, to get a response from Ketzula.

The demonic energy spread around to drive away his enemies, and General Kavuri laughed madly.

However, nothing happened.

Usually, Ketzula was the Evil God most responsive to his worshippers and even in this kind of situation.

“What did you do?” General Kavuri asked with a perplexed and stunned look on his face.

That the blood kept pouring down his broken jaw and slashed wrists made him look pitiful.

High Priestess Xaali and her group had erected a barrier by performing a ritual for the God of Time and Space.

Once performed, an evil god who usually acted in hiding would not be naïve enough to meddle in this matter, attempting to break through a barrier created by the power of the God of Time and Space, a Primordial God.

Aurora only knew a little about those gods and mostly about what the books or some worshippers mentioned, so instead of testing whether it would limit him forever, she charged forward.

She also had no need to answer or speak, and more so when her goal was to take care of her enemy.

“Stop her!” roared General Kavuri with a completely crazed expression, conveying his desires mentally.

A nearby fighter intercepted her, and she had to stop.

Aurora, not wanting to waste too much time, imbued her gloves with electricity and started exchanging quick blows with her opponents.

An experienced A-Rank boxer.

The most troublesome were these ‘tough’ individuals, that was why Aurora had to exchange a few blows with them, waiting for her chance to act.

“Ug...”

That opportunity came when her enemy had a slight paralysis caused by the electricity from her blows.

A moment, which Aurora didn’t waste.

Taking first the fist and then the arm, she withstood the force and without giving her enemy time to react; she lifted him into the air and threw him to the ground with all her might.

Knowing that this blow might not be enough, she crushed the man’s lower parts and without allowing him to scream; she kicked him in the stomach, which threw him against a nearby tree.

It was a brief confrontation of less than fifteen seconds and, to her regret, when Aurora turned around, General Kavuri had already acted.

With a laugh of a lunatic, General Kavuri was devouring the black organs that were filled with demonic energy.

Aurora, instead of charging before he finished his feast, stopped.

Psionic energy and magical energy were known to naturally repel each other, but the same was true for demonic energy and psionic energy.

It was one thing for him to try to perform a ritual to strengthen himself, but it was another to use demonic energy directly.

To perform such an act of madness could only be described as suicidal and the person performing it deserved to be called...

General Kavuri finished his feast and, laughing like an idiot, his aura increased in strength, rising rapidly.

His body transformed into a grotesque creature that could not be called human.

—He’s an idiot...

A real idiot.

That was the only way it should be called.