Peering at the fallen troops, Jamal still had his hand raised until a nearby explosion broke his concentration. The ruined complex he was standing on was bound to collapse any minute from the looks of it, as he started to fly towards the incoming action. The city was absolutely taking a beating, as the destruction was as far as the eye could see. His fears for the city were true, as the damage was comparable to the beginning of the rebellion that had them held up for weeks. Yet this was only done in several days, not weeks.
Looking below at the other complexes, Jamal could see people staring at him, with even a few whooping in joy. He could only conclude that they were involved with the city's defense and needed to catch up with the situation. Seeing a large hole in what used to be one of the building's corners, the man descended quickly and avoided a few shots trying to bring him down. Once inside on the top floor, Jamal could see several dead bodies laying around, although it appeared that some survivors managed to persist in these conditions.
"Holy shit! It's Jamal!" one of the soldiers was jumping up and down, as if they hadn't seen him already.
"We're saved! Bless our powers!" one of the others got to his knees, as the one who appeared in charge began making his way toward him.
"Ah, Jamal Wrint. It's finally an honor to meet you." the leading man had his hand out. "Cole, Cole Trurner."
"I'm guessing you're leading the defense here?" Jamal was eager to learn, as he also shook his hand.
"Nah, just in this area. You probably gave us some much-needed relief in this fight for the first time over there."
"Ah, no sweat, literally. I still got, let me see, twenty-two minutes and thirteen seconds." Jamal checked his watch, "So, give me a quick rundown of what's going on, and I'll see what I can do in that time."
.....
"What in the world was that!" one of the navy commanders shouted from the largest warship in the world, the OKS Terron, holding a set of binoculars.
"Sir, it appears that our troops got attacked by some type of fire. Perhaps they've decided to blow up the buildings now to cause as much damage and casualties as possible?" naval personnel next to him replied back.
"That would be stupid for them. They would all be trapped by its very design."
Watching intensely, the commander could see a person finally pop into view, holding their hand out to finish any survivors. But the dark skin and flames coming off their body was the greatest surprise of them all. Everyone who could see who it was exactly knew that person's name.
"It's Jamal Wrint." the commander dropped their binoculars from their hands and set them against the side. "Jamal Wrint is back!"
The scene caused temporary panic, as everyone on the ship's bridge was rushing to spread the news to not only those on their ship but every other ship engaged in the bombardment.
"Report this back to mainland command, immediately!" he rose his voice so everyone understood.
Those still in shock watched as Jamal darted towards the sound of a nearby explosion before he landed inside the other complex across the street. It was possible that he was trying to recuperate and establish a new plan to stop them all. No one here could let that happen.
"Notify our men to bombard that middle building now! Use everything we have!" another commander was quick to catch on, as the cannons began to move towards their newest target.
.....
"So they really are taking advantage of us while we're all so separated." Jamal shook his head, broken glass crunched under his shoes. "Wasting our valuable resources isn't going to end well for any of us."
"Which is why we need your help." Cole nodded.
"I intended to anyway, we should probably get everyone out of this building now. How many of you guys are left?"
Cole turned to his remaining men, counting to eight in total. This small number was holding everything down, Jamal had to question. That was truly impressive if true.
"Either evacuated, retreated, or dead. And we've lost many in this time already." Cole replied with sadness, although one of his soldiers was backing up.
"Sir, we got to go right now!" he pushed his way towards the stairs, "The ships are aiming towards us."
In a split second of confusion, Jamal moved his head to watch the ships' cannons almost pointing directly at them. These men had little time to reach safety or they'd be gone. Not even he could survive such concentrated power in a small amount of space. He could not die here.
"Move, move, move!" Jamal roared to them, most already on their feet, "I'm guessing you guys know what you have to do. Don't fail me now."
"Sure won't Jamal. See ya soon." Cole gave him one last wave, before being the last man down the stairwell.
Jamal didn't even turn back as he was quick to fly out of the complex. Just moments later, the building was getting pounded by the shells directed at him, and he could only hope those men were going to be alright. He had little time to worry about them, as the man could see a large group of marines moving towards the back of the complex he exited from. Knowing what he had to do, Jamal raised his hand towards the floor, and without hesitation, laid waste to the men with his fireballs.
The first screams of pain erupted the space, as those not hit yet looked up to see the source. Swerving in the air to avoid getting dropped, did Jamal continue down the street, just before he launched two larger fireballs to do more damage. This section didn't seem as bad as the others, as Jamal passed the final sector of apartments, littered with some holes from powers or weapons. There were way fewer marines in this area, although that only allowed more to be undetected, as he had to move a bit deeper into the city's territory to find the outliers. The only reason that gave him that assumption was the dead bodies and pieces of vehicles past the streets that Cole had said they had absolute control of.
"Where could they be attempting to push?" Jamal had to ask himself, as a droning sound interrupted his thoughts.
More Ariocasters were flying near the city, but Jamal could tell the complex wasn't even the main target. The city's industrial sectors were already damaged from prior bombing runs, and another one would only strain the limited production even more, worsening their offensive and defensive abilities. He couldn't reach them in time, as Jamal had no choice but to continue his search for marines.
Just about to give up after another minute or so, the man finally got a new hint at the sight of broken glass near the city's jail. Could it be possible that the group of marines was attempting to free their captured members and bring about even more chaos? Not wishing to let that happen, Jamal dived towards the ground, as he glanced inside the nearby buildings.
It appeared that the section used to mainly be restaurants just based on the signage alone, as he finally landed on the ground. Peering into the buildings with no windows, the only signs of people that were there were the misplaced tables and seating. Some struggle or activity did occur, but likely was some time ago.
"Sir, identify yourself!" someone shouted behind him.
Quickly turning around and with a fireball at hand, Jamal aimed his attack at a man in uniform peeking behind the walls of the jail. It was when the other person figured out who they greeted with a rude entrance.
"Wait, is that Jamal?" the person said.
"Yeah, you're alright." he made his way toward the other person.
Turns out it was simply one of the jail's guards protecting their valuable occupants from what was going on at the shore. That was some relief.
"I can't believe you've come back!" the man shouted with joy, as several explosions in the direction of Port-O-Bea's factories erupted.
"For about eighteen more minutes, I'm here. Not to take you away from your work, but have you seen any of those marines in this area?" Jamal took quick note of the newest attack as he returned to focus.
"Oh, those guys? That was about two days ago. It was about thirty of Youden's men trying to free their people. Of course, we gave them quite the challenge. Before we knew it, they simply retreated back toward the main action, but we aren't even sure why. They had open ground to continue around and gain access to higher positions. I think they're attempting to fully secure their beachhead."
"Thank you for the information. I don't wish to hold either of our time up, but we have work to do. Just know that those away from here are grateful for your guys' work and we'll be coming home soon. Appreciate it."
Jamal gave a quick wave, before dashing down the street. He was wasting valuable time playing detective and not putting in actual work against the real enemies. That ended now.
Already halfway there to the final street, Jamal was already igniting himself on fire just as a few dozen marines were attempting to cross ahead of him. Already on guard, he wasted no time to accelerate even faster, as he let his flames form into the shape of blades. The group had little time to prepare and managed to let a few shots off before the slices from the blades of fire did the rest.
Giving him clear access to the sea and the shore, Jamal was able to finally let his flames roar to full strength, as they managed to pass the heights of the apartment complexes themselves, before waning back down. Most of the marines were still attempting to circle around the buildings, meaning that fewer of them were still in the front and holding the rear. The advantage Jamal had was all he was going to need.
With the troops not seeing his power being unleashed just yet, Jamal moved across the space in a blur, before he stopped in front of the first group that was attempting to breach the building Cole was in. The closest soldier to Jamal looked like a young kid who seemed lost and confused, as they turned to face the man. They made brief eye contact, and Jamal could see the quick fear and recognition of who was in front of him. Holding little remorse or choices as the boy was already moving his rifle to face him, Jamal created a large blast through the entire street. Those further down could see the incoming attack rushing their way and giving them time to retreat either back to the port or inland. The ones who were too slow or unaware paid a valuable price with their life.
As the attack lasted a few more seconds before Jamal ended, the remains of the burnt soldiers still stood briefly, before collapsing into ash, charred skin, and bones. Turning down the street, he set afoot once again to find the rest of them, as the complex under the heaviest fire from the ships was beginning to break apart. His attack also didn't do the structure much justice, as both complexes were definitely on the brink of collapse.
The first street he crossed had nothing but some destroyed vehicles and dead bodies on both sides. It could only mean that the marines had managed to advance further than he assumed, as Jamal continued onward. Making it to the second street inland, did Jamal see more signs of fighting, as there were hundreds of marines assaulting and rushing inside the remanents of the complexes or other adjacent buildings. He wouldn't be able to take them all out, but maybe most of them if he was quick enough, Jamal had to process quickly.
"Hey, is that who they warned us about? Jamal Wrint?" one of the marines shouted, causing those still outside to aim their weapons toward him.
Already on guard, Jamal crossed his arms so that his left hand was facing the right, and vice versa. Hearing as the bullets began to spray around him and the approaching forces moved about thirty feet closer to him, did Jamal release his latest attack. This time, two fireblasts came from each hand, although weaker than a singular one, as those in its vicinity faced 2nd to 3rd-degree burns depending on how close they were to him.
Now with the ability to continue onward, Jamal ended his attack before dashing towards the third inland street. Supposedly was this was the furthest that the marines had advanced, but clearly wasn't true at all. More shouting and activity could be heard, but a quick look showed to it be filled with the Defense Corps that Cole had spoken of. This sector seemed to be secured for the most part, as a blockade that would lead more into the city was established, although the occasional shots and gunfire didn't mean that everyone was out of danger yet.
"How much time is lef-, oh wow, eight minutes and forty-nine seconds!" Jamal spat aloud, to which no one was close enough to hear. "I got to pick up the pace."
Moving closer to one of the Defense Core members, he asked how well their remaining defenses were holding up. The response was reassuring but still kept him on edge. There were around one hundred more marines past the roadblock and appeared that their destination was somewhere near the heart of the city. Perhaps it was a command center or supply hub that they wished to remove but of course, that couldn't happen. But Jamal was guaranteed that the Defense Corp members deep in the city had it under control and that it would be better for him to tackle the remaining troops still by the coastline.
Not wishing to argue and waste more desperate time, Jamal was about to head back to the street with the most activity, until another person called his name out. What could it possibly be this time?
"Jamal! I need to ask you for a quick favor." that person was moving through the gathering of soldiers. "If you don't mind."
"Oh, Cole!" Jamal was able to finally get a good look, "Sure, what's up?"
"So once we barely got out of the building, I was able to confirm that most of their army is on the second street-." Cole started to explain.
"I cleared that out."
"Ah, that was, unexpected." the man rubbed his head in surprise. "Well, I did also wish to add that there were several enemy battalions camped inside the furthest apartment complex. It's been very costly for us to remove them, and with limited manpower and equipment at the moment, we could use your help?"
"Say less." Jamal said almost immediately after he finished, "I'll see what I can do."
The new goal gave him something to do in the meantime, as Jamal was eager to let his flames return and give him that satisfying power. Pacing himself, he made it to the intersection of the second street, and a quick look at the dozens, if not a few hundred of the dead marines gave him the sign that everything was going accordingly.
.....
"Sir, we've lost contact with the 23rd Marine, 19th Marine, and 61st Marine Brigades. I'm not sure if it has to do with Jamal or a renewed push by the defenders." another one of the naval personnel assigned with scouting reported, holding a set of binoculars to watch the action.
For the last several minutes, no one could get a clear shot of Jamal, as the only thing signaling his existence was the large plumes in the sky, or the random attacks of fire throughout the city. When one attack started, and the cannons of the ship would move towards the location, another one would erupt and force them to follow suit. It was like a game of cat and mouse, except the warships did not feel like the cat, and they were the ones ending up as the prey.
"I see him!" someone on the ship's bridge shouted, as the scouting personnel followed sight.
There was Jamal Wrint once again, on the street directly on the shore, firing away his flaming balls at troops seeking cover behind the landing boats. He was treating the rest of their men who sacrificed everything to reach this position as if he were a custodian. To him, they could tell it felt like some cleaning operation for some crime boss in a corrupt city. This was disheartening, and the commanders felt their hatred for him growing.
"Screw it, tell all the ships bombarding, to strike down the street. Let's give him no cover." one of the commanders said with a sneer.
"Sir, are you sure? We only have fifteen percent of our inventory left?"
"Yes, do not hesitate any longer! The time is now that we take out this scum for Youden and our fallen brethren!"
.....
These marines were acting stubborn, Jamal stood in place, as his fireballs kept striking the landing vehicle.
"You guys can come out now," Jamal called.
"Never! Long live Youden!" one of the marines cried out from behind.
"Delusional."
Huffing a breath, Jamal let his newest fireball grow in size for a few seconds, before watching as the attack pierced through the boat. The screams were temporary before a quick silence returned, and giving Jamal the opportunity to remain focused on his main objective.
Five minutes and two seconds, Jamal clenched his fists. He had to start getting to the task before he would be back to the real front lines. The sight of the complexes in their current state had continued to deteriorate even during his talks with the other members several moments prior. Large chunks of concrete and other remaining objects were beginning to fall down and coat the ground in a powdery white. Perhaps he didn't have to do much work after all?
Closing in onto the middle apartment complex, a glint of light shined his way, causing Jamal to speed up before a shot landed at his previous spot. Looking toward the building again, he could see the barrel of a rifle pointing in his direction, which forced him to launch fireballs in that direction. The person pulled back before the powers of the marines replaced it. From darts of concrete to particles of sand, Jamal could simply chuckle at his predicament. This wasn't too much of a threat.
He was quick to plant his back against the wall, giving the enemy no clear shot of him at all. The flames of his hands were ready to be put to work, as a quick idea came to him. With the complexes likely collapsing within the next few hours, if not earlier, what was stopping him from doing that process now? Grinning, Jamal made sure he was safe, before pulling his hand back. He had to concentrate for this punch to be effective, which meant removing most of the flames from his body except for his arm. Bracing himself, he roared with all his strength as his fist slammed into the side. Jamal didn't think he would wince from such a strike, but perhaps the building was thicker than anticipated, as a large gaping hole triple his size was created.
The building's corner was already shuttering before, but now the entire thing was shaking. Jamal already knew that the best was to come, as he returned back to the inland street and dashed towards the next one. Behind him, loud crashes and groans signaled a collapsing structure, which was exactly what was going on, as the shouts of the marines still inside cried in surprise. There was only one more building left, Jamal could see that this building was in much worse shape considering the fact that it was the most attacked one. He had no clue as to the number of people in this one, although he could see a few stragglers holding the weakened building.
Only a few hundred meters away, Jamal was about to close in, before a large explosion erupted from the middle of the building. Jamal's mouth dropped in shock at how close he was to death before a new set of explosions rocked the street once again. All around him, shells from the ships were crashing onto the shore, and even into buildings not even being fought over. At that rate, there would be little cover for the defenders and they would all have to pull back further to not lose all their resources and men. He had no choice but to run through the smoke and fallen debris as Jamal past the second street, with the remaining marines pulling back to safety by the port itself. It took even less time to make it to the third street, as the Defense Corps could see the increased activity coming down from the ocean.
"You guys need to go now!" Jamal roared at those memorized by the bright colors of destruction, "You won't make it out alive if you don't!"
"Jamal, what about you?" he could hear Cole quickly move towards him, "Aren't you heading back by now?"
"You're right! Let me check." Jamal checked the watch, "Dang, I only have a minute and eight seconds left! I think there's one last thing I can do."
"That being?" Cole yelled out, as Jamal moved across the same street.
"I'm going to get that big ship in one go, just before I'm gone. You guys gotta stay strong, we're doing our part!" Jamal put his hand up one last time, before getting the perfect view he wanted.
Straight ahead, was some debris but less on the street compared to other sections, and the clear blue ocean ahead alongside the ships under Youden's control. If this was to truly work, then he was going to have to travel at a speed faster than he had ever done before. Sure in his other states was he some of the fastest among the other Viligantes, but even from such a distance would it be likely that he failed right here? But he had to have hope, no matter the costs.
As the explosions continued to rattle around him, Jamal braced his feet on a fallen piece of metal, as he let all his energy concentrate towards his lower half. Igniting himself after a brief pause and one final check of the watch, with only thirty-six seconds left, did the man face straight ahead at his current and only target. The OKS Terron was his.
.....
Laken held his breath as he watched the explosions from the comfort of his bedroom. Mama hadn't let him be up for some time due to those attacks, but these didn't look like his father's. Those were big and red, and launched high into the sky, keeping them all safe. This was black and sooty, and looked less controlled than that. It wasn't him.
"Hey, Laken? You okay?" he turned to see Ula look down at him. "Dinner's about done now."
"Where's Pa?" he pointed at the latest attacks.
"Oh, that's terrible. I don't know? Maybe he already left." she held some sadness in her voice but remained strong. "He did his very best."
Laken didn't answer back, as Ula sat down next to him and cradled his head. He couldn't truly understand what was going on, yet it felt as if it all made sense. His father was very essential for things to return to normal, and Ula knew that.
"You know, I think we'll be fine. And soon, you and your sister, me and Pa will all be together again." the woman hugged him, holding her tears, "Don't ever forget that. We all love you."
"I know Ma-, wait, look!" Laken's eyes widened in shock. "Pa's still here!"
Turning her head, Ula thought the time had run out by now, but apparently, she was wrong herself. Zipping over the streets and the beach, could they see a lone figure traveling overhead, and without a doubt, they knew who it was. Jamal's final attack was coming. Give them your everything, Ula muttered to herself, as she kissed Laken's head and they watched the attack together.
.....
"We lost sight of him following the first explosion on the eastern complex. Has not been sighted since." a scouter reported again, which was mandatory every single minute.
Where could that creature be, the warship's commanders were furious. There was no way he had survived such an attack and made it out unscathed. Their shells were some of the most powerful in the world, and it would have been a miracle for anyone to come out even alive. It was possible that he was actually dead and they had no knowledge of his death yet, which would have been a devastating blow to those rebels.
"He may be gon-, hold on, what's that?" a commander of the ship started to say, before noticing a streak traveling towards them. "Don't tell me that it's-."
"All taboons and small arms on that man!" another commander shouted over the radio, "Do not let him hit us!"
.....
The winds zipped behind him, as Jamal was mentally counting down the time he had left. About twenty-five seconds left, and he wasn't even halfway there. The pent-up power initially created a powerful launch, but at this current rate, he would be unable to reach the ship in time. He simply didn't have enough energy and time to make that span, at least it felt so. But he could not give up just yet.
Still focused on his target, Jamal was ignoring every little detail but the ship itself. Even with the bullets and powers that were now targeting him, he could no longer feel the attacks going through his clothes and skin. His speed was definitely picking up, as the man reached the halfway point, with only thirteen seconds to go. The remaining marines and even Defense Corps members still near the coast, could not help but notice the power that was being emitted. His flames were shooting brighter than ever, and letting loose the energy helped with that and his thrust.
Jamal was really closing in, although he now had eight seconds left and was three-quarters of the way there. There was a solid chance that even as he was accelerating faster than before, it was still too slow. What also didn't help was that one of the TKS Terron's cannons was aimed directly at him. Before realizing it, the ship fired its large caliber shell, meant to destroy any other ship in the world. With only five seconds left and only a few thousand feet away, Jamal roared with everything he had left in him, causing flames of blue to pop out through the red. His aura of fire extended to such a height and brightness, it had brought to many of the city folk the memories of the attack that saved their city from Youden several years ago.
Jamal was dedicated to finishing his goal, as he spiraled above the shell in a split second, as things started to slow down. Three seconds remained, and Jamal could see the faces of the crew members, shocked and scared of what he was going to do. The ship's hull itself was quite well-maintained, considering the fact that it was the flagship of Youden's navy and represented the power that the man held. Jamal would show that to be a lie. As he raised his fist and was bringing it forth, some of the sailors were jumping off and into the water to escape death. It would be futile, Jamal could feel, with the distance closed and his fist finally touching the hard and heated metal.
And just like that, out of nowhere, he simply disappeared before he could do any significant damage. Any soldiers on the edge of the ship felt a gusty breeze and a swath of weak, but large flames that didn't necessarily burn but were extremely hot to be around. Even though the fist barely touched, it was powerful enough to cause the boat to be pushed back several hundred yards over the waves and melted metal showing where contact had managed to occur. For that brief moment and time, those on the most powerful battleship in the world truly thought that it would possibly be the end for them. All the years spent building could have potentially been destroyed in seconds. At least for them though, the full attack would not hit them, but wherever he teleported back too.
.....
Most of the people, excluding those needed behind the frontlines towards Appleridge, were gone when Jamal returned. There were two advisors waiting in the same spot that Jamal came from, as they were to make sure that he came out okay. Behind them were medical supplies and other resources and assistance if the time came for it. With all that preparation, no one was ready to see him return in the air, before the man was zipping in the air and towards the ground at an insane speed. Jamal barely had time to regain his composure and surroundings, as the man traveled overhead for about a hundred yards before he crashed into the ground and failed to brace himself. Sliding and tumbling through the camp and destroying any tents on his path, the journey lasted about thirty more seconds, well into the forest and leaving a trail of dirt behind him.
"Whatever he did, would I not wish to be the one being attacked." one of the advisors shook his head in disbelief, as several carrs made their way to see their savior and make sure that he was alive through that entire ordeal. He did more than any of them could have asked for, as the battle for the city would soon commence.