Why an ARM user is feared

The battlefield stretched out in chaos, a living nightmare. The defenders of Clareo were nearing their limits, their once-steadfast formations faltering under the relentless waves of Void-tainted monstrosities and towering titans.

Even Team Unknown, battle-hardened and unyielding, showed signs of strain as exhaustion gripped them. 

Val reappeared on the battlefield in a swirl of shadows, his mask glinting faintly under the glow of distant fire and Void energy. His eyes swept across the chaos—the ground littered with corpses, blood, and ichor, the defenders gasping as they barely held their line. 

Val? Ember's voice cracked over the comms, raw with both anger and relief. Where the fucking hell have you been?

Later, Val replied, his tone cutting through the noise. Report. What's the status here?

We're losing ground! Ember growled, Purple Fire roaring around him as he obliterated a Void titan that threatened to break through.

Reinforcements are holding, but not for much longer. These titans—they're something else.

Exeo's voice cut in, sharp and strained. We can't keep this pace up. Even with the soldiers, there's just too many of these things!

Val's gaze moved to the southern hills, the origin point of the Void-tainted monstrosities, now a smoking ruin. Yet the creatures kept coming, pouring out from hidden reserves. His mind raced, calculating the options. 

Listen carefully, Val said, his voice firm over the comms. I'm ending this. But I need you all to adjust your positions.

Ember's flames blazed higher. What are you talking about? Val, if you've got a plan, now's the damn time.

Spread out, Val instructed. Hold the outer perimeter and keep them focused on you. I'm deploying a Void Mantle—keep out of its radius. It'll give you the edge you need to push them back.

A pause hung over the comms, then Fon's breathless voice broke through. You're going to unleash the Void here?

Val's eyes narrowed beneath the mask. Either we win, or Clareo burns. Your call.

There was no argument after that. Team Unknown moved quickly, signaling the Aurum rank soldiers to pull back while maintaining pressure on the advancing enemies. 

Val stepped forward, his shadow stretching unnaturally across the battlefield. He raised both hands, and the air around him seemed to fold inward, rippling with dark energy. Wisps of black smoke spiraled upward, growing thicker as the Void itself bent to his will. 

"Deleo," Val said inwardly, his voice cold. "Let's give them something to remember." 

Deleo's presence surged, his voice a low, resonant hum. "As you command."

A pulse of energy radiated outward as a dome of Void energy erupted from Val's position, expanding rapidly to encompass the battlefield. The Void Mantle hung like a storm cloud, its dark tendrils writhing and pulsing as it distorted the very air. 

Within the dome, the effects were immediate. The Void-tainted creatures faltered, their movements sluggish and disjointed. The titans, once unstoppable juggernauts, stumbled as their limbs grew heavy and brittle, their corrupted energy suppressed by the mantle's pulse. 

At the same time, Clareo's defenders felt a surge of strength. Weapons struck truer, their blows amplified by the Void's unnatural force. Ember's Purple Fire burned hotter, slicing through enemies with terrifying efficiency. 

"What the hell is this?" Riggs muttered, his wind blades carving through slowed enemies with ease. 

"An edge," Exeo replied, his voice tight as he unleashed another wave of Purple fire. "Keep moving. We've got a window—don't waste it!" 

Ember's voice came over the comms, steel in his tone. Hold the line, everyone! Push them back while we've got the chance!

The defenders rallied, their attacks relentless as they drove into the faltering enemy forces. The Void Mantle turned the tide, but Val wasn't finished. 

At the center of the dome, Val stood motionless, his focus unyielding. The HUD in his mask glowed faintly as it scanned the battlefield, locking onto clusters of remaining enemies. 

"Targets acquired," Val muttered. His voice carried over the comms. Fall back to the outer edges. Do not come near me.

The defenders complied, pulling back as Val raised his hands once more. 

Shadowy orbs began forming in the air around him, each one pulsing with concentrated Void energy. They hovered, growing larger, their surfaces writhing like living entities.

Val's HUD highlighted the densest clusters of enemies, and the orbs began to align with the targets, locking onto them with precise accuracy. 

"Deleo," Val said, his voice calm but unyielding. "Annihilate." 

"As you wish."

Then, Val unleashed the Void Sphere Barrage. 

The orbs shot forward with terrifying speed, streaking across the battlefield like meteors. Each orb struck its target with pinpoint precision, detonating on impact and releasing a vacuum-like force that pulled everything within its radius into oblivion. 

The effect was catastrophic. Entire clusters of Void-tainted monstrosities were erased in an instant, their forms sucked into the abyss and leaving behind only scorched earth. The titans fell one by one, their massive frames collapsing as the orbs tore through them. 

The defenders watched in awe and terror as the battlefield transformed before their eyes. The once-insurmountable tide of enemies was reduced to nothingness, the sheer force of Val's power leaving an eerie silence in its wake. 

As the last orb detonated, the Void Mantle began to dissipate, its tendrils retreating into the shadows.

Val lowered his hands, his eyes scanning the battlefield. The ground was littered with ash and twisted metal, the remnants of what had been an overwhelming enemy force. 

In HQ, Dr. Lewis stared at the monitors, his voice barely above a whisper. "Amazing..." 

On the front lines, Ember stood frozen, his flames flickering faintly as he took in the destruction. His red fiery eyes, burning with exhaustion, softened briefly as they followed Val's retreating figure.

"Well," Ember muttered, leaning heavily on a cracked barricade. "That's one way to make an entrance."

Exeo stood beside him, wiping blood and grime from his face. His shoulders sagged, but a faint smile tugged at his lips. "For once, I'm impressed. Proud, even."

Ember snorted, his tone a mix of sarcasm and lingering irritation. "Sure, proud—but I'm still pissed. Bastard let us bleed out here for hours while he played Void overlord." He shook his head, letting out a tired laugh.

Nearby, Bo slumped to the ground, his ice dissolving into the scorched soil as he sprawled out on his back. "I'm done. Someone wake me when this nightmare's over."

Riggs dropped beside him, leaning heavily on his staff. He sucked in deep breaths, his face streaked with sweat and ash. "Agreed. Screw this day. I can't even feel my legs anymore."

Fon joined them, collapsing onto the ground with a groan. His usually steady hands trembled as he propped himself up on his elbows. "Fucking finally. You know what's worse?" he muttered. "He's going to expect us to get up and move in five minutes."

Bo barked a breathless laugh. "I'm not moving. Not a chance."

A soldier from the reinforcements murmured, his voice trembling. "That's… an ARM user? They can do this?"

Val's voice came through the comms, calm and unyielding. "Clareo is secure. Regroup and finish the cleanup. HQ, log the report."

He turned, his cloak swaying behind him as he began walking toward the nearest extraction point. His mismatched eyes glinted faintly beneath his mask, a silent reminder of the power he wielded and the burden that came with it.

Back at HQ, the operators scrambled to compile footage from the battle, their screens replaying Val's abilities in stark, chilling clarity.

"Broadcast this to all allied networks," Dr. Lewis ordered, his voice steady despite the weight of the moment. "They need to see why ARM users are the key to our survival—and why they're not to be underestimated."

The live feed, already circulating among Clareo's citizens, reached allied nations within minutes. Leaders and military commanders watched in stunned silence as Val's Void Mantle engulfed the battlefield, slowing and weakening the enemy forces. They witnessed the precision of the Void Sphere Barrage as it tore through titanic monstrosities with terrifying efficiency.

One general in a neighboring country turned away from the screen, his face pale. "So this… is an ARM user," he whispered, his voice laced with both awe and unease.

In another nation's war room, a councilman shuddered as the footage looped. "Imagine if that power ever turned against us."

The impact was immediate. Messages of support poured in from Clareo's allies, their tone tinged with a newfound respect—and fear—for the unmatched power Clareo had unleashed on the battlefield.

Back on the empty battlefield, Ember sat down heavily on the barricade, his legs giving out as the adrenaline wore off. He pulled off his mask, running a hand through his sweat-soaked red long hair. His anger simmered, but his tone softened as he glanced toward Exeo. "You know, for all his dramatics… Val came through."

Exeo nodded, his lips curling into a small smirk. "He did. Can't say I'm not impressed. But if he keeps pulling stunts like this, we're going to need new soldiers just to keep up with him."

Ember let out a tired laugh. "Yeah, no kidding.", then put his mask back, making sure no soldiers saw his face.

Across the field, Bo groaned as he tried to sit up. "You think he's done, or should we brace for another Void nuke?"

Fon waved a dismissive hand, still lying flat on his back. "Let him have his moment. I'm not moving until someone physically drags me."

Riggs chuckled, leaning his head back against the barricade. "If he ever asks us to spar again, I'm faking sick."

As the smoke began to clear, the surviving soldiers moved cautiously across the battlefield, their expressions a mix of awe and trepidation. They avoided the blackened craters where the Void orbs had struck, the faint residue of Val's power still radiating from the ground.

A young soldier approached Ember hesitantly, his voice trembling. "Sir… is it always like this? Fighting with him?"

Ember glanced at the soldier, then back at the smoldering wasteland. "Kid," he said, his tone dry but laced with pride, "this is tame. You'll get used to it. Maybe."

The soldier realized that the Gold rank users selected to support of that mysterious ARM user are exceptional, noting how they are able to last until the ARM user arrived. A new found respect was burning inside the young soldier, and how they were selected to fight alongside the ARM user.

On the other hand, Val continued walking away from the battlefield, his silhouette framed by the burning horizon.

For Clareo's defenders, it was a sight that would remain seared into their memories—a moment that solidified the legend of ARM Rank Umbra.

An ARM user wasn't just a weapon. They were a force of nature. And Val, standing amidst the smoldering wasteland, was the storm Clareo had needed to survive.

But even storms have their moments of quiet.

Back in HQ, the teleportation hub rippled with shadows as Val reappeared. The dark tendrils of his Void power faded into the dim light of the room, and for a moment, he stood tall, every inch the imposing figure Clareo's defenders believed him to be.

And then he crumpled.

With a muffled groan, Val staggered to the floor, one hand bracing against the ground as his eyes dimmed slightly. His chest heaved, not from physical wounds—Deleo had seen to those—but from sheer exhaustion.

Dr. Lewis, who had been reviewing battlefield reports, turned sharply at the sound of Val collapsing. His heart skipped a beat, and he rushed toward the ARM user. "Val! What—are you injured? Did you overextend your Void usage?!"

As Dr. Lewis approached, Val raised a shaky hand, waving him off. "I'm fine, Doc," he rasped, his voice muffled behind his mask. "No burnout. No lingering injuries."

Dr. Lewis frowned, slowing his pace as he watched Val struggle to push himself upright. "Then why are you on the floor like a wounded soldier?"

Val groaned, finally sitting back against the wall, removing his mask. "Because I'm not ready to face Ember's wrath, that's why."

Dr. Lewis stopped mid-step, his concern dissolving into a deadpan stare.

"You're telling me that after single-handedly eradicating an army of Void-tainted monstrosities and turning a battlefield into a smoking crater, this is what has you crumpled in a heap on the floor?"

Val let his head thud lightly against the wall behind him, his tone dry but resigned. "You don't understand. He's going to tear into me for being late, for being radio silent, for—"

"—letting him, and th team bleed out on the front lines while you played Void overlord?" Dr. Lewis finished with a wry smile, folding his arms.

Val winced slightly. "Exactly. And he'll probably drag Exeo into it too, just to pile on. You've heard them both when they get going. It's like a two-man roast."

Dr. Lewis sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You annihilated titans, disintegrated the source of the enemy, and saved Clareo from annihilation, yet here you are, more worried about sibling arguments than global destruction."

Val shrugged weakly, resting his head against the wall again. "Hey, you've seen Ember when he's pissed. I'd rather face another Void titan than deal with that."

Dr. Lewis chuckled despite himself, shaking his head as he turned to leave. "Some things never change."

From his position on the floor, Val muttered, "For the record, I'm still your most impressive patient. Just saying."

Dr. Lewis smirked as he walked away. "Get up, Umbra. You've got a team to deal with—and a very pissed-off brother waiting for you."