Chapter 66: The Gate of the Fallen

The Marked came like a tide, rushing from the mist, their twisted forms moving with unnatural speed. Elias barely had time to brace before the first one lunged, its elongated fingers curling into claws aimed straight for his throat. He twisted at the last second, thrusters in his boots flaring as he propelled himself backward. The Marked landed where he had just stood, its claws gouging deep into the earth, its hollow eyes snapping toward him with eerie precision.

The creature snarled, then lunged again, but Elias was already moving. His gauntlet pulsed as he caught its wrist mid-strike, kinetic dampeners activating just as the thing's inhuman strength pressed against him. His suit adjusted instantly, absorbing the impact, redirecting the force—then he turned, using the creature's own momentum to slam it into the ground with a sickening crunch. The thing writhed, body twisting unnaturally as it broke apart into golden embers, dissipating into the air like ash caught in the wind.

More were coming.

Lira was already in motion, weaving through the battlefield with effortless grace. Her daggers flashed, each strike cutting into the Marked's exposed weak points—joints, neck, tendons. But even as her blades found their mark, the creatures refused to die easily, their bodies repairing almost as fast as she could cut them. One reached for her mid-spin, but before it could grab her, Cecilia appeared behind it, her dagger plunging into the base of its skull. The Marked shrieked, its entire body convulsing violently before collapsing.

Ivy perched herself atop a fallen column, her bow drawn, loosing arrows as fast as her fingers could move. Each shot struck true, piercing through the creatures' chests and heads, yet still, some of them kept moving, dragging themselves forward despite the injuries. Her eyes narrowed as she adjusted her aim. Instead of firing at their bodies, she targeted their limbs, shooting out knees, snapping tendons, severing arms—crippling them before they could reach the others.

Reinhardt was in the thick of it, a wall of raw power, swinging his warhammer with reckless abandon. Every strike shattered bone, crushed ribs, broke the ground beneath his feet, but for every one he sent flying, another took its place. One managed to leap onto his back, clawing at his shoulder, but he reached back, grabbed it by the skull, and hurled it into a nearby boulder, its body breaking apart on impact.

Marco's fingers flew across the console, his face illuminated by the flickering screen. "Almost there! Hold the line!"

Kierian stood beside him, blade raised, cutting down any Marked that tried to break through to their position. His movements were fluid, precise—every strike a calculated execution. He wasn't just fighting; he was dismantling them, striking with the efficiency of a man who had fought these things before.

Elias dodged another attack, his gauntlet flaring as he unleashed a pulse of kinetic energy, sending two Marked crashing into a wall. But they didn't stay down. Their bodies twitched, their broken limbs realigning, flesh weaving itself back together. His mind raced. If they couldn't kill them through conventional means, then there had to be another way.

His visor flickered as he ran a rapid analysis on the creatures. Their bodies weren't just regenerating—they were anchored to something, some kind of external energy field. It wasn't healing them; it was reconstructing them, forcing them to exist even after death. His gauntlet pulsed as he traced the energy pattern. It was coming from somewhere beneath them.

"Marco! There's a field anchoring them! It's coming from the facility—find the source!"

Marco cursed under his breath. "That explains why they're not staying dead! Give me a second!"

"We don't have a second!" Lira shouted, flipping backward as a Marked nearly took her head off.

Elias pushed forward, thrusters igniting as he dodged a swipe and planted his boot into a creature's chest, launching it backward. His gauntlet recalibrated, rerouting energy from the Vanguard Core into a focused disruptor pulse. If these things were bound by an external force, then maybe—

He didn't hesitate. He slammed his fist into the ground, releasing the pulse in a shockwave of golden energy. The Marked in his immediate vicinity convulsed violently, their bodies shuddering as the energy severed their connection to the field. And then, for the first time—they didn't get back up.

Ivy saw it first. "That worked! Do it again!"

Elias flexed his fingers, feeling the power coursing through him. His suit was still adjusting to the Core's full potential, but he could feel the limitless applications of what it could do.

Reinhardt grinned. "Alright! My turn!" He slammed his hammer into the ground, following Elias's lead, sending another kinetic shockwave through the battlefield. The Marked caught in the blast collapsed instantly, their bodies turning to embers without regenerating.

Kierian turned to Marco. "Open the gate. Now."

"I'm working on it!" Marco shouted, sweat beading on his forehead. His hands flicked across the interface, disabling ancient locks, rerouting power, overriding security measures one by one. "Just a little—"

A deep rumble shook the earth.

The massive war facility shuddered, old gears grinding as the massive doors began to part. Dust and debris rained down from the cliffs, metal shrieking as it was forced open for the first time in centuries.

"The gate is open!" Marco yelled.

"Move!" Elias ordered, launching himself backward as the last of the Marked shrieked in pain, their bodies breaking apart in the wake of their severed connection.

Lira and Cecilia darted through first, their movements blurring as they sprinted into the depths of the facility. Ivy followed, still covering their backs, while Reinhardt grabbed Marco and practically threw him inside before running in himself. Kierian was last, cutting down the last Marked standing before disappearing into the shadows of the fortress.

Elias stood at the entrance for a brief moment, watching as the last remnants of their enemies vanished into nothing. The field that had bound them together was gone. They had won this battle.

But it was only the beginning.

He turned, stepping into the facility just as the gates sealed shut behind them, plunging them into the darkness of what lay ahead.