Chapter 30

241231

"Thanks, Zero, I'd ask you what you're doing here, but I'm afraid we don't have time right now." Zane, visibly confused by Zero's presence, turned back to the Akuryuma who were still charging towards them.

The group continued to fight against the Aku pouring out of the Rifts. Always keeping an eye on the position of the Rifled-Akuryuma that had triggered the Rift. Nathan and Zane fired their spells at the raptors, who charged inexorably towards them as if death meant nothing to them. Cara and 736 fired their rifles at the Akuryuma, sifting through them one by one. The armor-piercing ammunition seemed to be having an effect. Sera fired a mixture of her Architect-Weapon and light spells at the Akuryuma, while Zero used his blade to slice apart any charging Akuryuma.

Meanwhile, the transporter had dropped a supply robot on the group. The robot was about three meters high and was primarily used to transport ammunition and other goods, but there were also armed versions like this one. A heavy rifle and a grenade launcher were mounted on the head of the robot, which provided the group with immediate fire support. It could also be used as cover, for which it had pivoting protective plates.

Shots and explosions could be heard everywhere. Fighting seemed to rage throughout the sector around the bar. Drones flew across the sky and jets shot through the street canyons before a hail of bombs turned a distant street into a sea of fire. The screams of the Akuryuma were omnipresent. Only the singing seemed to have stopped when they suddenly heard another noise.

"Watch out!" Nathan shouted to Zane and Zero, who were standing further away from the group near the intersection as debris was already falling onto the road. Just then, a massive Akuryuma shot out of the building that stood between Zane and the others. Immediately, the building began to collapse in on itself and propped to the right towards Zero and Zane.

"That's the Aku thing from earlier!" Zane recalled, wondering how the ATBS that had fought the Aku earlier was doing.

"Get outta here!" Zero shouted to Zane as the two dodged the debris. With a huge bang, the multi-story building crashed into the street, separating Zane and Zero from the others. Dust and debris scattered in the street as the giant Akuryuma marched towards Zane's team. Raptors charged between the Akuryuma's legs towards Zero and Zane. In response, an ATBS flew overhead and fired at the large Akuryuma.

"There's more coming!" Zane saw raptors coming towards them from the other side alleys, when the two of them were already standing back to back. 

The raptors had surrounded them.

"Damn they separated us!" Zane cursed.

"We should hurry..." Zero said anxiously, his eyes turned towards the bar.

"Well, let's get going. Let's show them who they're messing with." Zane grinned. "Ready Zero?"

"Anytime!"

The next moment, the two of them charged at the raptors.

Meanwhile, the rest of Zane's team was confronted by the Akuryuma that had broken through the building earlier.

The Akuryuma was gigantic, with a shoulder height of almost eight meters, it easily towered over an ATBS. Long spikes extended from its back and the spikes on the back of its head were also much longer than those of the other Akuryuma. Despite its muscular body, it looked very delicate, almost scrawny. The long tail, which was longer than the actual body, reinforced this image.

"Where did it come from now?" Cara asked in panic as the Aku approached her and the parts of the building gave way under its weight.

"I'LL TAKE HIM!" A voice shot across the collapsed building and an ATBS opened fire on the Akuryuma. The bullets from the ATBS slammed into the Akuryuma and the surrounding area, hitting a raptor. The projectile pierced the raptor, which was sent crashing into the ground from the sheer force and weight. The large Aku, however, barely seemed to feel the gunfire and turned towards the ATBS, which flew overhead. The ATBS kept its distance from the Akuryuma, but kept firing at it to divert the attention of Zane's team while they focused on the raptors.

"This is a Class One Akuryuma of the Rex type." Sera began to explain. "They are extremely strong and can withstand a lot. They are usually the main problems in an Outbreak."

"Can you take it out with your spear? The fire from the ATBS doesn't seem to bother it much." Nathan inquired.

"Normally the higher ranks do that, or the ships take them under fire. With a little help, I might be able to do enough damage for the ATBS to finish it off."

"Understood!"

"Sera and I will take the big one, can you back us up?" Nathan asked as he flushed four raptors several meters down the road with a wave of water.

"Leave it to us!" Cara assured him as Sera and Nathan rushed towards the Aku.

"If you can speed up the spear, we could get in deeper, that should narrow it down a lot." Sera explained as they ran towards the Aku, who was still playing cat and mouse with the ATBS.

The ATBS pilot of the fourth team had learned from his colleague's mistakes. Knowing that he could hardly do any damage to the Rex, the pilot kept his distance. His aim was simply to distract the Rex so that the other teams could do their work. So he jumped back and forth, the narrow street canyons severely limiting his maneuverability. Soon he would have to retreat, as the Rex pushed him further and further into a corner when he saw Nathan and Sera running towards him on a screen.

"Let's try to get it to turn towards us, then maybe we can hit the core!"

"All right!"

The Rex was just trying to bite the arm of the ATBS when the pilot pulled back. The operator had informed him of the plan. The jets on the ATBS's back and legs buzzed, catapulting it into the air far beyond the surrounding buildings.

In the next instant, Nathan and Sera fired their weapons at the Aku, who turned to them in a rage. Its tail whipped into the surrounding buildings, causing extensive damage. Windows shattered and parts of the façade came crashing down as the Rex charged towards them.

Sera immediately produced a spear in her hand and readied herself, while Nathan formed a spell of his own behind her.

"Go!" She threw the spear with all her might towards the Rex's chest. The spear seemed to speed itself up a little as Nathan activated his spell. In the next moment, a high-pressure jet of water shot out of the small magic circle. The jet of water reached the shaft of the spear and accelerated it even further before piercing the Rex.

A huge hole appeared in the Rex's chest and it fell to the ground with a thud, shaking the surrounding area.

"YOU'VE FINISHED IT OFF!" They heard the joyful voice of the ATBS pilot who had observed the attack from a distance.

"Well done guys!" Cara praised the two of them.

"Made it." Sera fell to her knees, exhausted.

"Are you alright?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah, it's just that my Gauntlet's energy is running low... I'll have to rely on my magic for a while."

"I see." Nathan looked at the bracelet on Sera's wrist.

Meanwhile, Zero and Zane were fighting the raptors.

"Zane are you alright?" Zero inquired, several raptors lay dismembered or frozen and impaled around the two.

"Zero watch out!" Warned Zane as a shot from the blind spot flew towards Zero. Zane immediately activated a spell and threw himself in front of Zero. The bullet pierced Zane's ice pillar, which he had created in anticipation of the angle of flight, before crashing into his shield.

"Thanks!" Zero replied as he dismembered a raptor that leapt towards Zane.

"Everything's fine with me. You?" Zane looked at Zero. His melee technique had soaked him with the Akuryuma's blood. The battle suit created a small shield membrane that kept the Akuryuma's blood away from his body, but it wasn't very stable.

"All clear here." Zero checked his gas mask. "Watch out!" Zero shouted and the two jumped to the side before a bullet hit the ground, leaving a crater of around one meter.

"That crap thing!" Cursed Zane as he caught sight of the Rifled-Aku. The Aku continued to jump from wall to wall, taking sporadic fire at Zero and Zane despite the serious injury.

"As long as that thing is there, we're not getting to Carol..." Zero agreed with him.

"And if we're unlucky, it'll call for Akuryuma again."

"Do you have a plan?" Zero asked.

"Yes... but... what do you think your sword can withstand?" Inquired Zane.

Zero knocked down another raptor, the Rifled-Aku had meanwhile approached them as they had run further into the street where the building was located. The Aku climbed along the walls of the building, firing again and again from different angles while the raptors kept Zane and Zero busy. 

Then it fired again at Zane, who dodged.

"Zero now!" Shouted Zane and in the next instant Zero fired his pistol at the Aku. The bullets scattered over the distance and only a few hit the Aku, but they simply bounced off it. However, the distraction was enough for Zane to fire a large shard of ice at the Aku. The block of ice was massive enough to knock the Aku off the wall, but it jumped to the other side of the street. While the Aku was still jumping, Zane could be heard shouting. "Hold on!" Before Zero flew towards the Akuryuma with his blade. An ice pillar several meters long had catapulted him high into the air.

The Akuryuma noticed Zero just in time, pointed its rifle at him and fired. Zero held the broad side of his sword in front of him like a shield as the bullet slammed into the blade and hurled him back at high speed. At the same time, the ice pillar Zero had been standing on shot steadily towards the Aku, forming a sharp blade at the tip that rammed straight into the Aku's wound. The Aku cried out in pain as it was dragged along with the ice pillar. Its arm threatened to snap off, but it aimed its rifle at the pillar. 

The next moment something exploded at the top of the ice pillar, which collapsed, and an arm flew through the air.

Zero fluttered through the air and rammed his sword into a nearby wall before crashing to the ground.

"Zero! Are you alright?" Zane asked, his exhaustion showing. The last spell had used up large amounts of his remaining magic reserves, and his shield was beginning to flicker.

"Watch out Zane!" Zero warned him, who immediately started moving again.

Zane turned towards the Aku as it leapt out of the smoke towards him. The left gun barrel was now also destroyed, and the right arm was completely missing. But despite the serious injuries, the Aku ran towards Zane, roaring, its claw ready to tear him apart.

"Damn it!" Zane cursed, a magic circle flaring in his hand before disappearing. Zane reached for his pistol as the Aku stood in front of him. Suddenly someone else appeared in front of Zane. It was Zero. 

The scene against Blood, where Zero had lost his arm, flashed through Zane's mind.

Zero's left hand collided with the Akuryuma's claw.

His fingers slipped between the Akuryuma's claws and Zero managed to grab the Aku's hand. With all his strength, Zero lifted the three-meter high Aku over himself and Zane while he tried to grab it with the sword in his right hand. In the next moment, the Akuryuma flew at high speed against the collapsed building.

Zero and Zane looked at each other, puzzled, before their eyes went to Zero's arm.

"What the hell kind of prosthesis is this?" Zane wondered as the Aku freed itself from the wreckage.

Zero rushed to Zane and stood protectively in front of him. "Can you get up?"

"I'm fine now. I put too much energy into the spell."

"Can you keep going?" Zero inquired, looking at Zane's arms but not recognizing anything through the battle suit.

"Don't worry!" Zane prepared himself as the Aku stood in front of them again. Both weapons were destroyed, the left arm was missing and yet the Aku still radiated a menacing aura. Its long claws were enough to impale a man and its teeth resembled razors. Then the Aku stormed towards them again.

"Let's finish this!" Zane proclaimed and activated a spell. Zero tightened his grip on the sword.

Zero charged towards the Aku and swung his blade, but the Aku jumped over the blade.

"Zero watch out!" Zane shouted as the Aku's tail headed towards Zero. With a dull thud, the tail crashed against Zero, who parried the attack with his sword. However, the acceleration of his run and the blow of the tail threw him further away than Zero had expected. He rammed his blade into the ground, bringing him to an abrupt halt, and turned to face Zane, whom the Aku was charging towards. The Aku leapt towards Zane, who ducked under the attack and turned his spell against the Aku's open side as a sharp pillar of ice shot out of the ground next to Zane, straight into the Akuryuma's wound. The latter was hurled several meters through the air.

"Zero go!" Zane spurred him on, placing his hands on the ground and casting a spell.

Zero immediately ran towards the Aku, who landed on the ground and prepared to counterattack when he saw Zero coming towards him with the black blade. Immediately afterwards, the Akuryuma tried to gain distance when it realized that its legs were frozen. The ice was spreading. A thick layer of ice had formed around the Akuryuma's legs in no time at all. The Aku's long tail shot towards Zero, who cut it in half with a swipe to the left.

The Aku cried out as Zero came closer and closer. Zero grabbed his weapon by the back hilt of the sword, smashed it into the ground and used it to propel himself upwards before following up with the sword.

Zero swung out from behind with the sword and pulled it down over his head.

"That's it!" Zane shouted as something appeared next to the Aku suddenly. A small sphere rolled forward from an alley. 

The orb inflated.

"What the...?" Zero cursed as he was suddenly hit by a massive fist. Zero's mechanical arm was pressed into his chest before Zero was flung away along with his sword.

"Zero!" Zane worried, seeing Zero lying on the ground. At the same moment, someone jumped from an adjacent rooftop towards the Aku. Zane immediately recognized who it was as he already touched the Aku's head and a purple energy seemed to pass from the person's hand to the Aku. "It's you again!" Shouted Zane to the man who turned to face him. It was the Eye that wore the pearl necklace around his body. However, it was a lot longer than the last time they had met in the government district.

"You really hurt the poor thing. Wasn't that a bit excessive?" The Eye observed the Aku, who seemed to have calmed down. A collosus stood between the two, which had thrown Zero earlier.

Zane glanced at Zero in the corner of his eye, who straightened up as he turned back to the Eye. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to pick up the Infected, but I ran into you guys and thought I'd say hello." The Eye explained. "And it's already paid off." He looked at the Rifle-Aku standing calmly next to him.

"Keep your hands off her!" Zero suddenly stormed towards the Eye in a rage.

"Someone's overly motivated." The Eye looked at Zero. In the next moment, his features slipped away. Zero was already close by the Eye. He had covered the several meters in a split second, jumped off and prepared to swing his sword. The Aku immediately set about stopping Zero when the eye's gaze fell on Zero's sword. In the next instant, the colossus slashed at Zero while the Aku haltingly tried to retreat.

Zero's blade cleaved the colossus without any major problems.

"I see..." the Eye, which had catapulted itself several meters into the air with a single leap, observed Zero. The Eye detached two orbs from its chain and threw them at Zero.

"Zero watch out!" Zane jumped to Zero as two New Bloods manifested from the orbs and headed towards Zero. In the next moment, Zane fired a spell in Zero's direction. A pillar of ice headed straight for the two New Bloods, forcing them to break off their attack on Zero. The two dodged as the first of the two came within Zero's reach and was struck by his sword. Again, Zero's blade sliced through the target with ease.

"That blade is really over the top," the Eye snapped, and the New Blood retreated. But he was hit by several bullets the next moment. A jet of water shot towards the Eye, which took another leap backwards along with the Aku. 

"Are you all right?" Sera came running up with Nathan, who didn't take his eyes off the man.

"Everything's OK." Zane replied, sweat running down his forehead. His gaze kept wandering to the man's red eyes.

"And there's the reinforcements." The Eye sighed.

"Give up!" Zane turned to the Eye. His team had moved into position.

"I'm sorry, but I don't really have time to play with you." Replied the Eye to which the New Blood had returned.

"You want to run away again?" Zane provoked him. We have to distract him for as long as we can so that Shelter can calm Carol down.

The Eye looked over the collapsed building to the remains of the Rex-class Akuryuma that Sera and Nathan had defeated. "I'm not running away, I'm prioritizing." He turned back to Zane and the others as he jumped back.

"Stop him!" Shouted Zane and immediately Sera and Nathan fired their spells at the Eye. The New Blood jumped in front of the Eye and blocked a water fountain that was heading for the Eye. At the same time, beams of light shot past the New Blood, hitting the Eye but bouncing off the shield. 

"Where's he going?" Cara wondered as she and 736 fired at the Aku.

In a flash, the Aku leapt over the rubble of the building and disappeared behind them.

Zane looked back and forth; the Eye had divided its troops. The Aku had disappeared in the direction of the Rex and the Eye itself had taken off. Only the New Blood was still there, fighting with Sera and Nathan.

Zane looked back and forth, the Eye had put some distance between them while Sera and Nathan dealt with the New Blood. Cara and 736 rushed to their support when the Eye suddenly closed the distance and headed towards them. The Eye lashed out with his fist and 736 stood in his way. The Eye's fist collided with 736's armored upper arms and 736 backed away slightly.

"Not bad. So that's the power of a Siegfried." Said the Eye as he dropped a bullet. Even as the Eye's fist collided with 736's armor, a massive fist slammed into 736's abdominal pit from below, catapulting him back.

"Three six!" Cara cried out worriedly as the one rushed past her. Cara immediately turned to the colossus that had appeared and opened fire.

736, however, caught himself in mid-air and managed to get his hand on the ground to stop himself.

"Cara watch out!" Shouted 736 to her. Cara fired at the colossus, which came closer and closer to her as the Eye appeared behind her. Cara immediately turned towards him and tried to aim her weapon at him, while the Eye struck again.

A wall of ice shot towards them, separating Cara from the Eye, who withdrew his hand and backed away.

Meanwhile, Zero appeared near Nathan and Sera and struck at the New Blood, who also retreated.

"Stop running and fight!" Zane stood in front of the Eye.

"You guys are really over the top annoying." Groaned the Eye, which had landed on the remains of the building.

Then the operator called out to everyone. "Stall him a little longer, Shelter's sending reinforcements."

"Roger that!" Zane nodded as the Eye seemed to receive a message as well.

"I guess you guys are getting reinforcements." He began to grin as the next moment the building began to shake and a Rex appeared behind the Eye. "I've got myself some backup too!"

"Where did that come from?" Nathan wondered, as everyone looked at the Rex.

The Rex also had the purple markings that the Rifle-Aku had before. The spikes on its back were significantly larger than those of the last Rex and it also appeared to be larger in other respects.

"We should have heard that one." Added 736.

"Was there another Rift?" Cara asked as the Rex was already charging towards them.

The Rex rammed its mouth into the spot where Zane had just been standing. Its tail swung wildly around and tore off parts of the building's cladding.

"I'll take my leave, then." The Eye was about to leave when the first shots of an ATBS rained down on the Rex.

"There's the fourth unit!" Cara rejoiced.

Zane fired a spell at the Eye, which dodged the ice spikes. "I'll take him!" Zane gave chase and fired his pistol at the Eye. The two leapt through the wreckage that had been created in the area. Sera and Nathan continued to take care of the New Blood with Zero, who had gone on the defensive and seemed to be dodging their attacks. Cara and 736 were about to follow Zane, as the ATBS had attracted the Rex's attention and lured him away from the group.

"What a bummer..." the Eye saw his Akuryuma turn away from his actual task when he saw Cara and 736 approaching in the corner of his eye. Quick as a flash, he dropped some of the beads from his necklace while dodging an ice blade cut from Zane.

"Cara watch out!" She warned 736 as several colossi emerged from the beads.

"Already seen them," she replied.

The ATBS continued to fire at the Rex, which didn't seem to mind the shots. Then the Rex suddenly opened its mouth, and a light began to shine inside. A huge bang followed, and a building was suddenly on fire.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" The ATBS stood next to the burning building in shock. There was a huge hole in the middle of it. "SINCE WHEN CAN THEY FIRE?" The ATBS exclaimed as the Rex snapped at him.

"TAKE THAT!" The ATBS roared over everyone and fired a missile at the Rex returning from the alley. A shockwave raced across the square, knocking over one of the colossi, which Cara and 736 fought while the two took cover.

"This won't do." Sera saw the fight between the two as the flames were already disappearing and the Rex charged back towards the ATBS, which barely dodged before the Rex rammed its skull into the building. The Aku immediately turned around and the creature's maw lit up again. A shrill sound rang out as a beam suddenly shot out of the Rex's mouth towards the ATBS. The ATBS turned to the left and tried to dodge when its right shoulder and arm were hit. The ATBS immediately went down and landed in one of the buildings.

"We need backup!" Sera held her index and middle finger against her cheekbone. "We've got a class-two Rex here." 

"Roger that. Fire in T-minus 20." Replied the voice on the other side as Sera immediately turned to the others. "Get away from the Rex!"

The Rex, meanwhile, trudged towards the damaged ATBS, which had stopped moving. The Shelter ship continued to hover over the sector, its size obscuring the sky above the bar and much of it beyond. Zane and the Eye were a few meters away when suddenly a beam shot down from the Shelter ship. The beam hit the Rex in the middle of the back, who cried out and tumbled to the side.

"What a bummer." Cursed the Eye, shielding himself from the debris kicked up by the blast as a pointed pillar of ice hurtled through the dust cloud towards him. The ice pillar cut into the Eye's shield, who deflected the attack just before he retreated to a higher building. "You seem to be really motivated." The Eye looked down at Zane, who was standing on the floors of a destroyed building.

"What do you want from the Infected?" Zane asked the Eye.

"I want to save her." The Eye stretched out his arms.

"You probably mean use her! Aero!" Zane activated a spell and shot towards the Eye with the help of wind magic.

The Eye backed away and jumped downwards.

"What do you think will happen to her?" He threw two orbs at Zane, which turned into zombies. In the next moment, the zombies froze into crystals before shattering.

"What do you mean?" Zane flew between the ice shards towards the Eye.

The Eye landed on the ground, closely followed by Zane, who made ice spikes appear where he landed, which headed towards the Eye. The Eye immediately jumped off again, avoiding the ice spikes and landing on a higher piece of rubble.

"Infected only have two options." The Eye began to explain. "Either they are used or they die."

Zane looked at the Eye, puzzled.

"Did you see that beam just now?" The Eye pointed at the Aku behind him. "Why do you think they don't just fire it at the Infected?"

It dawned on Zane, he remembered Sora back in the lab.

"An Infected that can cause an Outbreak like that is rare. She's also an adult."

"Shelter wouldn't...," Zane hesitated.

"And what about you? Why are you here? Do you really think Shelter needs help to stop the Outbreak? There are five ships here." The Eye pointed to the sky.

"We'll make sure the Aku don't get in the way of the Shelter forces."

"How naive are you? It wouldn't be hard for them to wipe out the whole area and yet your leadership has sent you to the front."

Zane fell silent. Fighting was going on everywhere, he could only guess what it looked like on the front line at the edge of the city.

"So you're starting to get it. In that sense, I'm doing the same as Shelter and you." The Eye grinned and pulled some of the beads off the necklace as the Rex stood back up as well.

In the next moment, the Eye threw four beads at Zane, who himself fired an ice shard at the Eye. The ice shard destroyed the rubble on which the Eye had been standing, but he dodged and jumped off.

"I say goodbye." Said the Eye while it was still in the air. "It may be a bit over the top, but I can't afford any more delays." The Eye now stood behind four New Bloods who were between him and Zane. "See you around." The Eye ran off.

"Wait!" Zane tried to give chase as the New Bloods charged at him. Zane was able to dodge the attacks, but the New Blood's huge claws kept grazing his shield as he backed away further and further. "Damn it!"

Meanwhile, Zero and Nathan continued to fight against the one New Blood. Some raptors had also joined them, making the fight unnecessarily difficult. The supply robot had begun to provide support with its cannon, the armor-piercing ammunition keeping the raptors at bay.

"How is that thing still standing?" Asked 736 as he and Cara helped the pilot out of the ATBS. The Rex had straightened up again and turned its gaze to the Shelter ship. Something began to glow in its maw again as some kind of energy sphere shot out of the Aku's mouth towards the ship. With a bang, the Aku's energy sphere crashed into an invisible wall surrounding the ship. As if the ship wanted to respond, beams shot down from above at the Aku again, but this time it did its best to dodge. However, the narrow street canyons made it very difficult for it to dodge.

"Are you OK?" Sera came running to Cara and 736, who had their arms around the pilot.

"He's wounded." Cara explained.

"Reinforcements are on their way." The operator reported as Sera turned to the Rex.

"Let's get out of here before we get dragged in." The three of them ran towards Zero and Nathan with the wounded pilot.

"Gotcha!" Zero cut up the New Blood that had stopped them.

Nathan, meanwhile, cut up a few of the raptors with a water blade while the support robot took the remaining raptors under fire.

Sweat ran down Nathan's forehead as Sera joined them along with the others.

"Where's Zane?" Nathan looked around when suddenly a cloud of dust shot out of a side alley, from which Zane emerged the next moment and fired a spell into the alley.

Shortly afterwards, the fist of a New Blood struck the spot where Zane had just been standing.

"Quick, he needs help!" Zero ran to Zane, who was visibly struggling with the attacks of the New Bloods.

"Cara, stay with the soldier." Ordered 736, who followed Zero. Nathan and Sera also rushed to Zane's aid.

Zero had run off with incredible speed as he was already swinging his sword and parrying an attack on Zane.

"Well, you brought a party." The four New Bloods stood in front of Zero and Zane.

"Sorry, I know you're not one for partying." Zane laughed as the others joined them. "Let's break up this party!" Zane spoke up and the next fight began.

The four of them fought against the New Bloods. Nathan, Sera and Zane had the main job as they continuously attacked the New Bloods with their spells. Zero tended to evade the New Bloods, as if they knew that a single hit with his sword would be enough. 736 took a more supportive role, but more and more often he resorted to the sheer power of his modifications and threw the New Bloods back with well-directed strikes. The fight went back and forth and the exhaustion of the individuals slowly became visible. By now, they had already managed to eliminate one of the New Bloods and the advantage was beginning to be on their side.

Sera suddenly received a message that made her hesitate briefly and ask for further instructions.

Then the operator suddenly spoke up, which he usually didn't do.

"Where are the reinforcements?" Inquired 736.

"The Eye has rushed to the bar!" Zane said frantically.

"I know. Unfortunately, the reinforcements can't come."

"What happened?" Nathan asked, fending off a New Blood with a water fountain that catapulted the New Blood into a building with tremendous force.

Suddenly, a deafening noise resounded over the city and the ground shook. In the next moment, huge beams shot in the direction of the Shelter ship, causing the ship's shield to shake. The Shelter ship was pushed away by the beam and abruptly changed course. Zane and his friends looked in the direction of the beam, where a black pillar rose into the sky and began to disintegrate. At the same time, several huge creatures rose above the buildings. A shrill deafening scream followed as another light caught their attention. Another pillar of light had shot into the sky from the direction of the Guardian.

"What the hell is going on?" Sweat ran down Zane's brow as the operator reported.

"The Shelter troops have been routed; the mission has failed..."