Chapter 182
"Firing line, Soldiers!" Valera commanded, her voice echoing in the helmets of the nearby soldiers. Following her command, the soldiers got into a firing line, lining up shoulder to shoulder and began advancing towards the horde of alien monsters that were forming, firing in unison.
While it seemed useless to keep using their energy weapons which didn't do much, the overwhelming firepower hitting the monsters at once had started to show effects, slowing the creatures down enough to make the Spartans' job much easier.
"Keep up the fire!" Valera shouted as she cut off the arms of the one of the monsters that tried to grab her. Around her the screams of dying soldiers could be heard as the monsters continued their reign of terror. This was the strongest enemy that they had faced ever in their lives, but despite this the line of soldiers persisted in their assault, pouring more and more shots into the oncoming horde of monsters.
Minute by minute, the sheer number of monsters dwindled under the barrage.
Gradually, the Ascendency forced began to regain control of the battlefield. The MCUs and Yanme'e drones were holding off the ground assault, while in the air it was utter chaos since the shield had collapsed. Enemy forces were beginning to swarm the area, and the Ascendency air force were having trouble maintaining control.
Then, just as the monsters' numbers were beginning to dwindle, another object had crashed down on top of the soldiers once again killing dozens. This time instead of an inhuman screech, a clear voice was heard, "Where's the Emperor!!" yelled the voice as it grabbed one of the Spartans that tried to charge it and held them up in the air. It was the voice of a Precursor, and the one in charge of this attack.
In the next moment, the Spartan started screaming in pain. Valera seeing this, attempted to try and save her squad member, but the Precursor had swung his arm which Valera tried to dodge, but the sheer force of the swing was too much, and it sent her flying back.
The Precursor then threw the spartan that it was holding onto the ground and started pummeling him with punches. The Spartan's armor began to bend, and his body stood no chance against the sheer force of the Precursor.
"I want to have some fun Emperor, these little toys of yours won't satisfy me, so come on out!" Yelled the Precursor again.
Watching from the command center, Axel looked at the screen as all the crew within the command center were staring at him to see his response. Seeing one of his Spartans be taken out like it was nothing, he knew the enemy was much more dangerous than the other enemy forces that they had encountered throughout this battle, and this one would require his direct intervention.
Closing the live video feed, he stood up and turned around to see the Commander of his personal Honor Guard approaching alongside two others.
"Have all the Honor Guards onboard meet me near the teleporter" he ordered to the Spartan-II standing in front him. This was Commander Jai-006 who has been personally appointed as the Commander of Axel's honor guard due to his service record which was second only to John-117. The only reason John-117 wasn't chosen was because he didn't undergo Honor Guard training as his abilities were needed elsewhere, he was also a deputy Commander within the Spartan Operations Branch of the Ascendency.
"Aye, Sir" Jai replied as he ordered all Honor Guard to report to the teleporter for deployment onto the battlefield. As he was doing this, Axel began to double time it to the teleporter.
As he approached the teleportation chamber, his nano armor had activated forming around his body. His nano armor was more than a suit; it was a symbol to every soldier in the Ascendency.
Entering the chamber, the rest of the Honor Guard were already waiting, their imposing figures standing in silent readiness. Each Spartan wore the gleaming standard Honor Guard armor, their energy shields enhanced, and weaponry fine-tuned for high-intensity combat.
"Your orders, sir?" Jai asked, taking his place in front of the other Honor Guards.
"We're neutralizing that Precursor," Axel said, stepping onto the teleportation platform. "I'll take it down the Precursor. It wants me? Fine. Let it choke on its arrogance while the rest of you secure the battlefield and eliminate any other creatures."
Jai nodded, as the Honor Guards saluted in unison. "For the Emperor," they said in unison, their voices filled with unyielding determination.
In the next moment, the teleporter was activated and Axel along with 300 Honor Guards were transported to the planet's surface, directly into the heart of the battlefield.
The battlefield was filled with chaos, the crash sites of the alien vessels were filled with fighting, sending thick clouds of smoke into the sky. The Ascendency soldiers and Spartans fought desperately to hold the line against the dwindling Kynthari forces who were almost all defeated and the relentless monstrosities that had emerged from the wreckage. Overhead, fighters flew across the sky, trading fire with the new alien craft in a battle for air supremacy.
As Axel appeared with his Honor Guard, the Precursor's towering form turned toward them. Its sleek, dark body shimmered with an unnatural energy, and its four elongated limbs were sending soldiers flying.
The creature's gaze locked onto Axel. Its face turned to amusement. "Ah, the Emperor finally graces are with his glorious presence," it said sarcastically. "I was beginning to think you'd leave your pawns to die in your place."
Axel stepped forward, activating his energy sword. "You wanted me. Hear I am. But I promise, you won't leave this battlefield alive."
The Precursor let out a low, bone-chilling laugh. "Bold words, little Emperor. Let's see if you're worthy of them."
Without warning, the Precursor lunged, its claws slicing through the air with terrifying speed. Axel sidestepped just in time and then countered with his energy sword, aiming for the creature's exposed side, but the Precursor twisted impossibly fast, avoiding the strike and swiping back with its clawed hand. Unlike Spartans, Axel's armor was the most advanced piece of armor within the Ascendency that was made as a multipurpose armor to deal with any scenario.
The Precursor's strike connected, sending him skidding backward but leaving him unharmed. Around him, the Honor Guards engaged the monstrous alien creatures, their movements precise and disciplined, forming a protective circle as Axel faced off with the Precursor.
The battlefield seemed to pause in awe of their duel. The Precursor's towering frame exuded an overwhelming aura of raw power, its movements unnaturally fluid yet violent. Axel had begun to read the Precursor's movements and adapt.
The Precursor struck again, this time faster, aiming a brutal swipe at Axel's chest. Axel parried with his sword, blocking the attack and then followed up with a swift counterstrike, his blade slicing into the Precursor's arm. The creature roared, a loud screech that shook the ground, but it showed no sign of slowing down anytime soon.
"You think you can stand against me?" the Precursor growled; its voice laced with disdain. "I am beyond your comprehension, mortal."
"Maybe," Axel retorted, "But you bleed just the same."
With a burst of speed, Axel closed the distance, slashing at the Precursor's legs in a series of rapid strikes. The creature staggered, its alien physiology struggling to adapt to the precision of Axel's attacks. Seizing the opportunity, Axel drove his energy sword into the Precursor's torso, the blade crackling as it pierced through its body.
The Precursor screamed, its body convulsing, but it wasn't finished. In a desperate move, it lashed out with its claws, catching Axel off guard. The blow sent him hurtling into the debris-strewn ground, his armor's shield was on the verge of collapsing.
'Damn that was a tuff hit' Axel thought to himself as he pushed himself to his feet. The Precursor loomed over him, its wounded form still radiating power. "You're resilient, I'll give you that," it sneered. "But you're only delaying the inevitable."
The Precursor launched a series of attacks giving Axel no time to recover. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to dodge this time resulting in him taking some of the hits before he was able to recover. In the midst of it, he managed to cut off another arm of the Precursor while he grabbed the last two arms of the Precursor and started to swing it around before tossing some distance away.
He didn't stop here as he chased after the Precursor using his enhanced speed to close the distance in an instant. The Precursor tried to recover, but it was unable to stand as Axel charged.
'What's that strength?' thought the Precursor as the emperor was different from the previous soldiers even though he had the same advancements that those other super soldiers had.
While this was true, Axel was almost 5x stronger than the Spartan-IIIs and IVs that the Precursor faced previously, and his armor offered him similar abilities to that of the Forerunners.
But he couldn't lose here. He was sent to kill this emperor, and he planned to do that even if it cost him his life. So, in a last-ditch effort he faked an attack from the left causing Axel to dodge and forcing him into the position that the Precursor wanted him in.
This split-second maneuver allowed the Precursor to stand up and counter charge towards Axel. This time instead of dodging, Axel met him head on which proved to be a mistake as the Precursor took advantage of this and used his regrown 3rd limb to pierce Axel's armor.
Axel grunted in pain, using his feet to kick away from the Precursor as the nano-bots began to seal the wound so he wouldn't bleed out.
"I'm surprised" he stated. "I can't remember the last time I was wounded he declared."
Seeing his surprise, the Precursor laughed, a cruel and bitter sound. "I told you, Emperor. You are merely delaying the inevitable. Your end is here."
Axel ignored the taunting words and took a deep breath before he went back to exchanging hits with the Precursor. The Honor Guards watched in awe as this was the first time they saw another figure being able to match the strength of their Emperor.
After a few minutes of continued fighting, Axel had swiftly dodged one of the Precursors attacks who was aiming to finish the fight seeing as it didn't have the advantage. But Axel who was already used to the Precursor's attack patterns had let the attack strike the empty air where he was just standing at, then seizing the moment, he drove his energy blade upward to the Precursor's exposed chest.
The Precursor screamed, staggered back as its once overwhelming presence began to falter. It tried to muster another attack, but Axel didn't waste this chance. Utilizing his speed, he closed the distance, delivering a punch to the Precursor's head which cracked its skull and sent it staggering back.
The Precursor fell to its knees, its limbs flailing weakly as Axel activated another function of his armor. From his left hand, a concentrated energy beam charged and launched, striking the Precursor square in the chest. The resulting attack illuminated the battlefield, drawing the attention of every soldier, Spartan, and Honor Guard.
The Precursor let out a final defiant cry, its form beginning to wither as if its very life was getting drained. "I underestimated you; I admit that. But the others aren't as weak as me" was the last thing the Precursor said before its form lost all of its life.
The battlefield seemed to hold its breath, and then a deafening cheer erupted from the Ascendency forces. However, the monstrous creatures were still a problem that they needed to deal with.
So, Axel turned to his Honor Guard, some with alien blood on their armor, "Secure the battlefield," he commanded. "This war isn't over until every last one of these creatures is eradicated."
The Honor Guards saluted and began to spread out to various parts of the Battlefield, getting rid of the last remnants of enemy forces.
A medical team had come running towards Axel checking his wound which was already patched up by the nano bots. "I'm fine," he stated as the medical team ignored him and continued to do their job.
He didn't mind as they were probably as worried about him than even himself. This battle had been a test of strength and resolve as he claimed the first victory over the Precursors. All that remained was the ship floating above the planet now.