Locked In

North Gate

"Wang Mu!! NOO!!" Wang Da screamed in horror as his brother's head exploded right in front of his eyes.

Blood and brain matter splattered across the uneven ground. The sickening stench of iron filled the air.

"ATTACK! WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!!" Wang Feng roared and unleashed a massive fireball towards the incoming wave of European Soldiers that had suddenly appeared just a few meters away from the Chinese Camp.

BOOM!!!

The explosion sent a wave of heat through the air. The smoke billowed outward, carrying the stench of burning cloth and charred flesh.

Wang Mu could have unleashed other more efficient spells in that situation, but he chose the biggest and loudest spell he had in his repertoire.

He wanted to warn the Chinese Camp of the incoming attack!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

More sniper fire rang out from the distance, and next to him, Wang Ji and Wang Da collapsed to the ground, dead.

The Wangs were solid C-Ranked Fire Knights from the middling tier Wang Clan.

They had sent six of their strongest youths to temper themselves in Blackthorn City.

In just an instant, three of the remaining six Wang brothers were dead.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! PRAPAPAPAPAPAPA!

Many more sniper fire rang out a mere split second before the more powerful but short ranged Heavy Blasters exploded into life.

"DIE YOU BAS-"

Wang Feng did not manage to complete his sentence before the heavy blasters opened five massive holes on his body. 

The last thing he saw were his brothers' dead bodies on the ground right next to him. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Chaos instantly ensued and a roar of sound rose up to the skies as screams of rage, wails of pain and the fearsome sound of heavy blasters filled the air.

Much too late, the emergency sirens shrieked their warnings.

The Chinese Camp was under heavy attack!

"It's the Death Siren!" Sheila Shadowbane cried out in shock. "It means the camp is overrun and all units are to disperse and regroup at emergency site B!"

At that moment, his comms burst into life.

"You lazy bastard! WAKE UP NOW AND RUN! The Europeans are attacking us! WAKE UP! WA-" Came Harry Shadowfang's urgent shout.

"I am up." Damien Bloodbane cut him short. 

"You're up! Thank God! Where are you? Are you able to move? It's a fucking massacre here at the North Gate! HAIYAAA!! DIE YOU MOTHAFOKAA!!" Harry Shadowfang screamed as he spoke.

"Harry, get the hell out of this camp. I'll see you at the secondary base." Damien Bloodbane said as he began to sprint towards the North Gate.

Others may be escaping, but Damien Bloodbane had 5 C-Rank European Heads to collect, and he wasn't going to give up on this golden opportunity to clear his mission requirements in one fell swoop.

"OK! DON'T YOU DIE ON ME YOU BASTARD! HAIYAAAAA!!!"

"I'm coming with you." Sheila Shadowbane said as she matched his running speed and appeared by his side.

"I am going to the frontlines. It's dangerous." Damien Bloodbane frowned at her and said.

"I can handle myself." Sheila Shadowbane said quietly.

Damien Bloodbane could only shrug and continue his mad dash to the North Gate.

"Heyyy Bossssssss!! Waaaait for meeee!!" Fatty yelled like a stuck chicken from somewhere behind him. 

Of course Sheila Shadowbane and Damien Bloodbane ignored him completely. 

At maximum speed, it only took Damien Bloodbane half a minute to traverse the central market.

Just beyond it was the Northern Sector which contained a mix of residential and entertainment amenities for the sprawling Chinese Camp.

As soon as he laid eyes on it, his mind started to race. 

It was in flames. 

Thick black smoke curled into the sky. The air stank of burning metal and singed flesh.

People were running everywhere in panic, and many were being mowed down by the heavy blaster fire of the European soldiers positioned perfectly several meters away. 

Atop a small rise several meters away from him, a squad of twelve European soldiers were firing three powerful Full Automatic Heavy Blasters set up upon tripods into the mess of Chinese warriors receding away in all directions. 

But one thing was immediately and apparently curious.

There were no high rankers and no powerful mechas.

None on the Chinese side, and none from the European side.

Damien Bloodbane's sharp eyes scanned the battlefield.

There was not a single B rank, much less an A rank.

And even C ranks were scarce, few and far in between.

Strange.

In the midst of the chaos, he also noticed several Chinese youths forming up in various locations.

They were all D ranks.

They weren't panicking. They weren't fleeing blindly.

They were prepared.

It was as though they had known the attack was coming.

"This is a test." Damien Bloodbane realized as his countenance darkened. "An entrance test for the various colleges?"

His gaze flickered to Sheila Shadowbane.

She stood silently beside him, her face unreadable.

And suddenly, everything became clear.

"An entrance test for the rookies. A year-end test for the students. Everything mashed together in this chaotic but ultimately unimportant battleground that is Blackthorn City."

Damien Bloodbane was rather impressed at the sheer efficiency and brutality of it all.

And partly because of that brutality which reminded him slightly of the endless Zerg genocides he had to carry out, Damien Bloodbane could feel his Super Soldier Training kicking in.

Golden pathways appeared before his eyes and began moving about in real time, granting him insight on how to bestow death upon his enemies in the shortest and most efficient manner. 

"Take this." Sheila Shadowbane tossed the two Ice Daggers to him. 

The blades spun through the air, catching the dim firelight. Frost shimmered along their edges, leaving faint trails of cold mist in their wake.

Damien Bloodbane caught them effortlessly with his left hand. The metal was ice-cold against his skin, sending a sharp chill up his arm. 

He barely noticed. 

His flat gaze never wavered from the European soldiers.

They were multiplying. More figures emerged from the smoke, their weapons glinting with deadly intent.

The four groups of Chinese youths gathered nearby had hesitated for a brief moment before retreating completely.

Apparently their source of information failed to mention the huge number of Europeans that would participate in the attack.

Or perhaps… 

Something truly serious happened recently that completely pissed off the Europeans and caused them to rip their original plan apart and send in a much stronger force than agreed. 

Like perhaps… 

The assassination of an important youth in Blaze Dragon's camp…

None of it mattered to Damien Bloodbane.

He was in Super Soldier mode.

And Super Soldiers kill.

"I will be here if you need healing," Sheila Shadowbane said softly.

As a student of Medicine and International Diplomacy, her task was to heal and remain in the back lines. 

But Damien Bloodbane did not seem to hear her.

His breathing had slowed. His heartbeat had steadied. 

He was completely locked in.