Chapter 5: The Land of Machines Episode 13: The Clash with Zekhtau’s Archer FormPart (1/2)

The deafening sounds of the battlefield helped mask our footsteps. The contact lens Lunar had synced with the Osiris system projected a green holographic path ahead. We darted through the darkness, avoiding danger zones as if guided by a third eye. It wasn't long before we closed in on Zekhtau from behind.

Zekhtau loomed tall in the heart of the battlefield, its lower body a mass of metallic, four-legged constructs that clung to the ground like deep roots. A massive photon laser prism bow mounted on its shoulder emitted a faint orange glow, steam hissing from its joints as though it were a machine primed to kill at any second. We positioned ourselves around it, hearts pounding like they might explode. Draco, Akira, and Elina stood close, while Mirelle and Yue kept a cautious distance.

As Zekhtau finished charging its power, it prepared to fire again. "Now's the time! Move!" Lunar's voice crackled through the earpiece. But as soon as we made our move, Zekhtau's eyes flared with a piercing red light, as if it could see straight into our souls. It swiveled its laser cannon toward us with startling speed.

Yue took an instinctive step back, while Elina gripped her weapon so tightly her knuckles turned white. Mirelle's hands clenched loosely at her sides, her gaze fixed on Akira, who stared Zekhtau down with unwavering determination. They all knew this was an enemy that left no room for error.

"Well, aren't you brave little pests," Zekhtau's gravelly voice boomed, laced with mockery. Its massive body twisted with the grinding sound of metal scraping against metal. The tip of its photon laser bow aimed directly at us, while smaller laser turrets began rotating, locking onto targets with precision. The situation was dire.

Akira made a snap decision, shouting Mirelle's name as he raised his blade without waiting for her buff spells to finish. Despite his haste, Mirelle managed to cast overlapping fire and water enchantments in time. The swirling dual-colored energy formed a radiant barrier around Akira, serving both as protection and a weapon.

Akira's first strike was precise. His blade cleaved through Zekhtau's front legs in an instant, the metallic limbs crashing to the ground with a deafening clang. The machine staggered but steadied itself on its powerful hind legs, refusing to fall.

Draco seized the opportunity, dashing forward as planned, aiming to disable its bow entirely. Channeling his unique ability, he made Zekhtau's massive frame unnaturally light, causing it to wobble slightly in an attempt to regain balance. But its reinforced hind legs kept it stable, allowing it to reorient its aim almost immediately.

Zekhtau's adaptability was far beyond what we'd expected. One of its hind legs detached, revealing itself as a weapon. With a swift kick, it sent Draco hurtling into the air.

Draco's body spun helplessly in the void, the impact knocking the wind out of him. All he could see was the relentless red glow of Zekhtau's eyes, locked onto him like a predator stalking its prey. Clenching his teeth, he braced for a counterattack, even as Zekhtau prepared to fire a devastating laser beam at him.

The photon laser bow glowed ominously, its target fixed on Draco. Elina screamed, "No!" while Yue raised her hands, pouring her energy into a protective barrier around him.

Suspended in midair, Draco forced himself to focus. He reached into his pouch and retrieved a disc-shaped object. Summoning every ounce of power he had, he activated his newly mastered skill. A spinning wheel of fire erupted, blazing bright orange as it carved a fiery arc through the air.

The fiery wheel curved mid-flight, slamming into Zekhtau's photon bow with precision. The machine shuddered from the impact, its aim momentarily thrown off.

Seizing the moment, Draco increased his own weight, pulling himself downward. The sudden shift caused Zekhtau's aim to falter. The laser beam, which should have been a direct hit, veered off course and collided with the barrier Elina had erected. The impact was deafening, the photon beam shooting skyward, slicing through the dense gray clouds.

The beam's fiery trail lit up the night, tearing through the heavens like a blazing comet. It left a searing path that illuminated the battlefield, transforming the oppressive darkness into an eerie, glowing dawn. The fiery orange glow reflected off the thick mist, casting a radiant brilliance across the sky, as if the sun itself had risen in the dead of night.

Draco, flung into the air by the powerful impact, quickly realized he couldn't afford to crash land. Instinctively, he activated his ability to make himself nearly weightless, his body floating like a leaf caught in the wind. With a flick of his foot, he used a fire spell to generate thrust, controlling his direction midair.

Amid the chaos of the battlefield, now consumed by flames and laser beams, Draco gazed down at the destruction from above. "This is… incredible," he muttered, his voice tinged with awe. From his elevated perspective, he squinted at the lingering laser streaks that scorched the sky, their trails tearing through the clouds like a celestial rift. Beyond the parted storm clouds, the stars twinkled in tranquil defiance of the raging war below. The serene cosmos stood in stark contrast to the bedlam on the ground.

Draco glanced down at the battlefield again, then adjusted his trajectory with another fiery thrust, slowly descending. Though he hadn't landed yet, his controlled movements gave him the appearance of a man commanding the very essence of fire itself. Taking a deep breath, he murmured to himself, as if to reassure his confidence, "No way I'm crashing… I'm landing in style."

Meanwhile, Zekhtau began charging another devastating beam. Akira darted toward it with a defiant shout. "Not happening!" he yelled, swinging his blade in a powerful arc that severed Zekhtau's hind legs. The machine stumbled but remained upright, pivoting its enormous frame to aim its photon prism bow at Akira for a counterstrike.

"Big brother!" Yue screamed as Elina poured her energy into forming a protective barrier. The energy from Zekhtau's weapon crackled ominously, radiating a searing heat that seemed to suffocate everything in its vicinity.

Akira raised his dual swords, the Zen Sabers, in defense. The white blade, Sol, glowed brightly, absorbing the incoming energy of the beam. In a split second, the black blade, Luna, began to shimmer with an abyssal, void-like glow. The energy Akira absorbed surged into Luna, which pulsed ominously before unleashing a swirling stream of black light—Blacklight. The energy spiraled outward like a serpent, slithering through the air as it devoured Zekhtau's laser beam with ravenous intensity.

The Blacklight beam clashed directly with Zekhtau's photon bow in a dazzling explosion. The force of the collision sent Zekhtau's massive body spinning like a top, its bow crackling under the strain. Unable to control the damage, the bow's mechanisms began to malfunction.

In a catastrophic failure, four additional photon laser beams discharged simultaneously from the weapon, wildly spraying across the battlefield. Some beams struck Zekhtau's own tanks, reducing them to twisted heaps of molten steel. Others collided with nearby ammunition depots, triggering a chain of massive explosions. Flames and thick black smoke erupted into the sky, the cacophony of detonations roaring like thunder splitting the night.

Hovering above the chaos, Draco adjusted his weight with his abilities, keeping himself steady as he watched the destruction below. His eyes gleamed with exhilaration. The once-mighty army of Zekhtau was now a burning wasteland, its tanks reduced to charred debris. Fire engulfed the battlefield, and the unrelenting symphony of explosions echoed without end.

"This is… incredible," Draco said again, his voice filled with a mix of awe and satisfaction. A laugh burst from his lips, loud and unrestrained, as if he were seated in the VIP box of a theater, watching the perfect spectacle of destruction unfold before his eyes.