Protelyte vs Malver - 54

Protelyte's POV

I plant my feet firmly in the shifting sand, body tense, listening—feeling. My mind sharpens, stretching out to sense any movement.

One hand grips my sidearm, the other stays free, ready to react.

A faint sound—something cutting through the wind from the side.

I move. Forward. Fast.

Another attack from a different angle.

Front!

I drop low, pivoting as I raise my sidearm.

Bang!

I fire toward where my senses seem to think the blade come from, shifting my legs against the unstable sand for better footing, keeping my lower body clear of any more blade.

Clang!

The shot never reaches its mark.

Another psychic blade carves through the air where my head had been a second ago. I roll, sand spraying around me, just as another blade slashes down—missing by inches.

I count my rounds. 16 bullets left.

Need an opening.

Shhhhk! Shhhhk! Shhhhk!

A rapid series of cuts—all from the same direction.

He's committing.

I drop low, psychic energy flooding my hands, and with a mental command, the ground shifts.

The sand erupts, a sudden wave cascading toward Malver.

A blur—he vanishes, leaping clear.

I twist, unleashing a burst of telekinetic force, aiming to slam him mid-air.

For a brief second, his outline flickers.

Malver is fast. He twists mid-flight, redirecting his momentum, and lands soundlessly, already closing the gap—

His psychic blade arcs downward.

I raise my arm, willing a psychic barrier in to existence, but the blade cuts through it like paper.

I throw myself sideways, just enough to avoid a fatal hit—

But pain explodes in my arm.

A clean cut. My left arm is gone.

Blood soaks the sand. My mind fights against the pain, shutting it out as I aim my sidearm with my right hand.

BANG!

Point-blank. No time for him to dodge.

But Malver is already moving like his anticipate this.

His blade flashes, slicing the bullet mid-air.

Then he slashes again—

I sidestep, twisting to dodge, but my balance is off.

Too slow.

His blade is about to connect—

Then suddenly—a barrier, but not mine.

It stops his psychic blade cold.

A voice pierces my mind.

"Insignificant fool.. you hurt what is mine"

Master.

I look up just as Malver is lifted into the air, his body twisting in struggle.

Master Yuri floats in the distance, approaching.

BANG!

Gunfire echoes from afar. The snipers must be dealt with.

I turn back—Yuri crushes Malver.

But—nothing?

I watch his body collapse, crushed into the sand—but something is wrong.

What?

Yuri's voice hums in my mind.

"Hmm… a physical illusion."

My senses scan—no blind spots remain. Malver is gone.

Yuri speaks again.

"No matter, Proselyte. Your reparation will have to wait. There is a situation to handle."

"Yes, Master."

I exhale, cutting off my pain receptors with sheer will.

My left arm is gone.

Not that it can't be replaced.

I have a mission to complete.

Soviet General's (Soviet Player) POV - Moscow, Russia

"Comrade General!" Premier Krukov greets me with a smile as he enters the room.

"Sir!" I respond with a salute.

We stand inside a repurposed building—one of the many hastily converted into a command center after the Kremlin was struck by an orbital attack just 2 days ago.

Krukov waves off my formality. "No need to be so rigid, Comrade General. You held the line long enough for it to matter."

"Sir, may I ask what's next on the operational front?" I inquire.

Krukov shakes his head slightly, but it's General Zrukov who answers first.

"For now, we hold." His tone is serious, arms crossed as he continues. "Our eastern infrastructure was hit hard. Stalin's Fist production took a severe blow and without those our tanks production."

Krukov nods in agreement. "Comrade Zrukov is right. Right now, our priority is to recall all forces and consolidate our defenses until we can rebuild."

I frown. "What about those unknown forces? Do they not plan to strike us again?"

The damage they inflicted in less than a week was staggering—five production bases, an airbase, several key naval assets, and numerous strategic facilities. If they wanted, they could press the advantage and finish us off.

Krukov exhales, shaking his head. "We can't predict their next move. Even the PRC was hit hard—nearly thirty bases wiped out."

I absorb that information that was more then enough to cripple PRC permanently. "So, protecting Moscow and the surrounding regions is the priority?"

Krukov nods. "Yes. We don't have the manpower we once did. We only have a fraction of our competent officers and generals left, and we must deploy them wisely."

He motions to his aide, who brings up a detailed map of Russia, spreading it across the table. "I might not be general anymore but I know more then enough being General for so long, now let begin for Motherland."

Commander Yuki's POV

I lost…

Not just a defeat, but a complete loss. My command center was knocked underground, my forces overwhelmed, and then drones came to finish us off before I even had the chance to crawl out of my collapsed MCV.

I sigh, accepting a cup of hot chocolate from one of the girls. MCV? That's what they called her? I suppose it's the Abyssal equivalent of an MCV… if that even makes sense.

All my injuries are healed, along with everyone else's. No casualties. That's surprising, considering those two T-Dolls obliterated the entire city by blowing up the sewer lines.

I take a sip. "Thanks."

MCV—if that's what she really is—smiles, nods, and then vanishes.

And just like that, they have teleportation tech. Probably reverse-engineered from a Chronosphere. Not that I'd know what we traded for this so-called protection.

Well, actually, I do know. These girls aren't exactly tight-lipped—especially when they're enjoying themselves.

Before I can dwell on it further, someone barges into the room.

A familiar ball of energy with cat ears and dual tails. Cat.

Great. As if being named Cat wasn't enough, now she's actually got cat traits.

"So, as I was saying, that was fun~" Cat grins, perching herself on my hospital bed, holding her own cup of hot chocolate.

I stare at her. "I don't think exploding an entire city is fun."

She tilts her head. "Not like you haven't blown up a city block before, right?"

I sigh. "That was necessary. I knew nothing I had could damage your girls at all."

She hums, taking a sip. "Well, not like we're gonna take damage anyway after our next upgrade."

I narrow my eyes. "You're getting even more overpowered? How?"

Cat giggles, as if she was waiting for me to ask. "Oh, just Chrono tech, infinite energy, and Iron Curtain shielding."

Wait. "By Iron Curtain, you don't mean—"

"Yep, the Soviet Iron Curtain. Kind of primitive, honestly. But the Commander modified it to be always on now."

I almost choke on my drink. Always on?! That means—

"So… immunity to all damage. Forever."

She nods like it's the most casual thing in the world.

"Do you still have that weird dark red glow?" I ask.

She shrugs. "Not sure yet. But if it does, Helena will crack the cosmetic settings in a day, tops."

Of course. Helena—Abyssal Commander Aqua's right hand—cracking something like cosmetic adjustments isn't surprising at all. 

Cat leans forward, tail flicking. "Anyway, as far as I'm aware, your base was the only one with that much preparation."

She swipes her fingers through the air, summoning a glass screen before handing it to me.

A live stream? From Amy's point of view.

I raise an eyebrow. "Should I be flattered?"

Before I can react, Cat boops my nose, grinning like she just won something.

"Your light tricks gave you some control over the situation before the battlefield shifted," she comments, sipping her drink as if this were casual small talk.

"You the only one who did that so far" Cat added.

I just nod. Not sure if she's trying to cheer me up or just stating the obvious.

Cat's ears twitch. "Anyway, once you get your tech upgrade, you're gonna love doing things like that."

Ah, yes. The tech upgrade.

Not that I've had time to check the files yet—I was too busy preparing the city for an assault.

"Tech upgrade?" I ask, shifting slightly on the hospital bed.

Cat blinks a few times before realization hits. "Oh, right! You haven't seen those yet."

The glass screen shifts, changing from the live feed to a document titled 'Knight Armor.'

Knight? Why knight?

I swipe down, and the first image appears.

"…Power armor?"

Like something out of science fiction?

Cat nods rapidly. "Yep! Shields, thrusters, laser rifles, and Cryo shield walls."

I exhale. "Alright, explain from the start."

Cat grins, her tails curling slightly. "You're getting retrained anyway, so I might as well give you a head start."

I sigh. Yeah, retraining. After this mock battle fiasco, it's inevitable and I kinda hard those.

"What about vehicles?" I ask.

Cat shrugs. "Commanders are still debugging the T-Doll upgrades. Might take a few more days before she start on vehicles."

I nod, staring at the screen, already trying to wrap my head around the possibilities.

"Fine. So… tutor me?"

Cat's ears twitch again, and she smiles mischievously.

"Sure~"

Spring's POV

Yaaawn… I stretch slightly as my eyes flutter open. Still dark… Must be night time.

'Sleep more' 'but she need to pee' 'maybe just a little bit more?' 'pee first'

I shift slightly. My mom is hugging me, and it feels nice—so warm, so safe. I snuggle closer, letting my eyes close again.

'warm~' 'soft' 'still need to pee though' 'agree on that'

I frown slightly, shifting uncomfortably. Okay, yeah, I really need to go.

I wiggle carefully, trying not to wake her.

'Stealth mode activated!' 

But my mom's grip is firm, like a protective cocoon.

'Abort mission?' 'Stay in comfort?' 'Nope. Full send! Escape plan, go!'

It takes a few seconds, but I manage to free myself, slipping out of her grasp and making my way to the bathroom.

By the time I'm done, I wash my hands properly. Mom always says clean hands are important.

'Mission accomplished. No casualties.' 'Well, except for lost warmth points. Sad.'

I step back into the bedroom, and my mom is awake, looking at me with a gentle smile.

"You can sleep in today, you know," she says, opening her arms for me.

I don't hesitate. I step in and melt into her embrace, feeling her arms wrap around me once more.

'Back to the best place ever.' 'Reclaimed warmth bonus! Yay!' 'Shhh. Just enjoy the moment.'

She hugs me tighter, patting my head softly. "Don't worry. I'll always be here for you."

I close my eyes, sinking into her warmth and presence.

life is good.

Siegfield's POV

The assault on Moscow failed. The Soviets managed to hold the line, deploying a sheer number of Apocalypse Tanks that turned the battlefield into a death trap. Their iron grip on the city remains unshaken.

I sigh, shifting my gaze toward the gunship I've been working on. One of the latest prototypes—a weapon that, if all goes well, will be ready for field testing in a few weeks at most.

Then, the sharp sound of hurried footsteps breaks my focus.

"Sir!" One of my assistants rushes toward me, visibly tense. "Communication from European HQ, sir!"

I lower the tool in my hand and straighten. "Reroute it to my lab," I instruct.

The reinforced glass window facing the Thor gunship flickers, transforming into a live transmission. A moment later, the stern face of a High Command general appears.

"Siegfried," he greets.

"Sir!" I respond immediately, standing at attention.

Without wasting a second, he gets straight to the point. "Have you determined what's been striking us from orbit?"

Ah, the orbital strikes… They've been an absolute nightmare

"It appears to be a weaponized variant of the Iron Curtain, sir," I answer.

His eyes narrow slightly. "Then it can pierce through an Iron Curtain's defenses?"

I nod. "That seems to be the case, sir." In fact, I suspect that because the technology is derived from the Iron Curtain itself, it is capable of bypassing any known shielding system we currently have.

The general exhales sharply, his frustration evident. "Have you detected anything in orbit?"

I resist the urge to sigh. This is the tenth time he's asked in the past two days.

"No, sir. Our satellites and radar arrays have detected nothing. They're using cloaking technology on their orbital platforms," I explain once again.

The general's frown deepens, his frustration mounting. And I don't blame him.

"Find a solution" he said cutting off connection. as I sigh.

---

Quality dropping.. probably stress but yeah..

Anyway annoucing 2 weeks Hiatus? 

Will be back around 3rd next month.

just got a job need to settle in first.