Chapter 79- Almighty Sentinel

Kyle sat in his jeep as they chased down the retinue of the Normos Family, peering through the thick mist that clung to the battlefield like a damp veil. His heart beat with a steady rhythm, anticipation coiling in his chest. The mission was simple: ambush the team, wipe them out, leave no survivors.

The ambush had gone off without a hitch so far. They had the high ground, the element of surprise, and the other team, as the fools that they were had no idea that they were been herded like cattle, right into a trap.

He glanced down at the small monitor in his hand, the countdown steadily ticking away. The EMP device was already in place, buried deep under the ground. Once the trucks entered the device's range, they'd be dead in the water-quite literally, in this case. No vehicles, no comms. Just sitting ducks.

"Any minute now," Kyle muttered, half-amused by the situation. His lips curved into a grin, the anticipation nearly palpable now.

Behind him, the rest of his squad chased after in their vehicles, weapons at the ready. There was a smug sense of confidence hanging over the group. They were good at this. Real good. Kyle had been part of countless operations, but this one? This felt too easy.

"They're in range," a voice crackled over his earpiece. "Hit it."

Kyle gave a quick nod, and with a satisfying click, the EMP activated.

A second later, chaos erupted in the distance. The rumble of engines sputtered, then died. The faint roar of tires skidding across gravel reached his ears, followed by the unmistakable crash of metal colliding with metal. He didn't need to see it to know what had happened. The trucks had lost all power, likely slamming into each other in a spectacular pile-up.

"Too easy," Kyle muttered under his breath, rising to his feet as his squad prepared to advance. They moved with practiced precision, parking their vehicles a safe distance away, far enough not to be affected by the now receding EMP pulse.

"Alright, move in on foot. Let's finish this." Kyle's voice was calm, but there was a deadly edge to it.

His team fanned out behind him, weapons at the ready as they approached the wreckage. The fog made it hard to see, but it was clear from the shouts and groans of pain that some of the enemy team had survived the crash.

Not for long, though.

"Open fire!" Kyle barked.

His squad obeyed without hesitation, the crack of gunfire splitting the mist. Muzzle flashes illuminated the fog in brief bursts as bullets sprayed toward the overturned trucks. The sound of return fire was faint, scattered. They were getting desperate, Kyle could tell.

"They're almost out of ammo," he called to his team, his voice carrying over the gunfire. "Keep pushing. They'll be dead in minutes."

He ducked behind a boulder, letting out a low chuckle. It was always satisfying when things went this smoothly. As long as they kept up the pressure, there was no way the other side could mount a counterattack. They were sitting ducks.

Suddenly, a loud clang echoed through the mist.

"What the-?" Kyle barely had time to react before something huge barreled out of the fog.

A large hulk of a man, holding what looked like the door of a truck as a makeshift shield, charged toward them with terrifying speed. Bullets pinged off the metal door, but the man didn't stop. He crashed into the front line of Kyle's squad like a wrecking ball, sending men flying through the air like rag dolls.

Kyle's eyes widened. "What the hell?!"

It wasn't just the brute force that was unsettling. The man's eyes burned with a fierce intensity, his skin glowing faintly, a red martial qi flickering around him like an aura. Kyle barely managed to get his gun up before the giant slammed one of his men into the ground with a bone-shattering thud.

"Take him down! Now!" Kyle shouted.

But the brute was relentless. He swung the truck door like a hammer, smashing it into two more of Kyle's squad. Their bodies hit the ground with bone-crunching thuds, some skidding across the gravel as the giant swung the truck door like a club, smashing everything in his path. The ground trembled under his feet as the man then charged forward again, roaring with primal fury.

As if things weren't bad enough, a burst of fire suddenly exploded nearby, followed by another fiery blast. One of the enemy's cultivators—some kind of fire adept—was hurling molten balls of flame into the fray. Each one detonated on impact, sending waves of searing heat and sparks across the battlefield.

"Get down!" Kyle threw himself to the ground just as another fireball sailed overhead, missing him by inches. The heat from the blast seared his skin as it erupted behind him, lighting up the mist in a brilliant flare of orange and red.

"Dammit!" Kyle cursed, sweat dripping down his brow. "Suppress the stryker! We need to take out that fire-thrower!"

But the enemy was relentless. The fire adept continued his assault, launching fireball after fireball, forcing Kyle's squad into cover. For a moment, it seemed like the tides might turn in favor of the other side. The brute with the truck door was still wreaking havoc, and the fire adept kept them pinned down.

But just as quickly as the flames had come, they stopped. The cultivator was out of juice.

"Push forward!" Kyle yelled, feeling the tide of the battle shift in their favor again. TheThe giant man had retreated, his body riddled with bullets and gashes, and the enemy gunfire had all but ceased. Kyle could hear only the faint, sporadic clicks of empty guns—proof that the other team had finally run out of ammo. Their last defense had crumbled.

"We've got 'em. They're out of ammo," Kyle muttered, his grin growing wider. This was it. Just a few more shots, and they'd be done.

His squad advanced, the fog parting slightly as they neared the wreckage where the remaining enemies were huddled behind cover. Kyle's heart raced with the thrill of imminent victory. He could practically taste it.

That's when he heard a low, humming sound, like an engine starting.

Kyle froze. His heart skipped a beat as the noise grew louder, reverberating through the thick mist. He exchanged a nervous glance with one of his squad members, who seemed equally unsettled by the strange sound.

"The fuck?" someone muttered behind him.

Kyle's eyes darted toward the wreckage. At first, he saw nothing, just the twisted metal and scattered bodies. Then, he noticed it-two red lights glowing faintly in the fog, flickering like the eyes of some monstrous creature.

A chill ran down his spine. His hands tightened around his rifle, his palms slick with sweat. For a brief, terrifying moment, he was paralyzed by the sight. Those red lights...they weren't human. What was that thing?

Then, before he could react, something began to move from the wreckage. It was large, metallic, and it moved with an eerie, unnatural grace. The red lights blinked slowly as it wheeled itself into view, its hulking form shrouded by the mist.

Kyle's breath caught in his throat. His instincts screamed at him to run, but his legs refused to move. It was as if the glowing red eyes had paralyzed him with fear.

Suddenly, a voice cut through the air—playful, almost mocking.

"Rip them to shreds, my baby."

Before Kyle could even process what he was hearing, the sound of rotating barrels filled the air.

And then all hell broke loose.

«Bbbbrrrrrrrrrrttt»

Kyle barely had time to react as the hellish roar of the machine guns filled the air, the relentless barrage of bullets slicing through the mist. His heart pounded in his chest as he scrambled for cover, diving behind a rock just as one of his men crumpled to the ground, torn apart by the sudden onslaught. The once-confident squad was now in full panic mode, scrambling to regroup.

"What the hell is that thing?!" someone shouted.

Kyle peeked around the corner of his cover, eyes wide with shock. The entity, which he now recognized as some kind of robot was plowing through the battlefield, its twin arms spewing a devastating stream of bullets from the barrel mounts. The eerie red lights that served as its eyes glowed ominously through the mist, giving the bot an almost sentient air of menace.

The machine moved with purpose—steady, unyielding, like a tank rolling over the battlefield. Its rugged wheels crunched over debris and shattered armor, struggling to shake off the occasional bullet that pinged against its plating.

"Light it up!" Kyle shouted, trying to rally his team. "Put it down before it wipes us all out!"

His squad reacted, opening fire on the hulking machine. The slowly clearing fog flashed with muzzle bursts as dozens of rounds rained down on the bot from all directions.

The bullets struck the bot's armored frame with a series of sharp, metallic pings, but the machine barely slowed its advance. Sparks flew off its plating, and a few dents appeared where the rounds found weak points, but it continued its relentless charge, unfazed by the barrage. Its twin gun barrels churned with deadly efficiency, sending out a storm of bullets that shredded anything in its path.

"Keep firing!" Kyle barked, trying to stay calm. "Focus on the joints—take out its mobility!"

His men followed his orders, switching to heavier calibers and aiming for the bot's tracks, hoping to disable its movement. He cursed the fact that they had left their rocket launchers in the jeep. After all, how was he supposed to know that the prey carried a metal death machine with them?

The robot advanced, firing relentlessly. Another one of Kyle's men screamed as he was caught in the open, bullets riddling his body. The rest of the squad broke formation, fleeing toward the safety of the jeeps as the situation spiraled out of control.

Kyle grit his teeth, trying and failing to keep his composure. They still had a chance to escape—if they could reach the jeeps. He clicked the communicator in his ear. "Fall back! Get to the jeeps! Now!"

The squad needed no second warning. One by one, they broke from their positions, sprinting through the dissipating fog toward their vehicles. The robot continued its assault, picking off anyone who hesitated or lagged behind. Every second counted now.

Kyle ran for his life, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he sprinted toward the nearest jeep. Behind him, the sound of gunfire and explosions reverberated through the mist. He spared a glance over his shoulder and saw the robot still pushing forward, methodical and unrelenting. It was like a nightmare come to life.

Finally, he reached the jeep, throwing himself into the driver's seat and slamming the door shut. He glanced around, seeing the few remaining members of his squad doing the same, piling into the other vehicles. They had managed to escape—for now.

"Go, go, go!" Kyle roared, slamming his foot on the gas. The jeep's tires screeched as they tore out of the battlefield, the mist swallowing them whole as they sped away from the slaughter.

In the rearview mirror, Kyle caught a final glimpse of the battle bot—its red eyes glowing ominously, staring after them as if taunting their retreat. His heart pounded, adrenaline still coursing through his veins. The ambush had gone from perfect execution to an absolute nightmare in minutes.

* * *

Meanwhile, from a safe distance, Rion watched the retreating jeeps on his handheld display, his lips curling into a satisfied smirk. His remote interface showed the camera feed from the Sentinel Mark-1's optical sensors, its red eyes tracking the fleeing enemies. The bot had performed better than expected.

With the press of a button, he deactivated the machine's firing systems, and the thunderous gunfire finally ceased. The battlefield fell into an eerie silence once more, save for the crackling of distant flames from the wrecked trucks.

Well, that went better than planned, he thought to himself, reclining back against the wrecked remains of a nearby truck.