Cerion tilted his head slightly and let the blast of energy pass harmlessly into the sky while his eyes zeroed in on the hovering vehicle carrying Kree soldiers. A red-hot beam blasted out of his eyes and carved through flesh, bones, and metal. The troop transport vehicle exploded with a bright flare, and shrapnel scattered to all corners. Anything that came towards the direction of the slaves was held back by the energy shield he projected.
He didn't give the Kree ground forces time to recover from the shock he delivered. He immediately flew towards them and began smashing, kicking and punching the soldiers until they all fell unceremoniously on the ground, never to rise again. Some of them had their bones crushed, while others were pretty much dead. Within the span of a few minutes, an entire battalion of the Kree forces was wiped out. Thanks to his enhanced senses, he could feel a few Kree soldiers were alive. He could also see several Kyrlorians were in bad shape, and they needed medical attention.
"Star Killer, do you read?" Cerion spoke through the comms.
"We are receiving you, Captain." Officer Andrew responded.
"Mark my current position. There are a lot of Kyrlorians who need medical attention, and there are a few Kree survivors."
"We have your location marked, sir. Once we finish the mining, we'll have a medic crew transported to the area." Officer Andrew said through the comms.
"Good." Cerion cut the comms before turning his attention to the Kyrlorians.
"Optima, dispatch two healer discs."
The suit of armour came under flux as two healer discs floated away from the area near his shoulder blades. The healer discs went around and started giving emergency medical care to those suffering from critical injuries. While this was going on, Cerion gathered the Kree soldiers who were alive and, with the help of the uninjured Kyrlorians, he bound them against a tree.
"Are you from Xandar?" a small Kyrlorian girl asked him as many of their people gathered around him.
"I'm afraid not. My name is Cerion. I'm a Kryptonian." Cerion knelt on one knee and patted the small pink-skinned child's head. "Now, what is your name?"
"My name is Bilinska." the little girl said excitedly and introduced her family, "This is my father and mother."
"I see. You have a wonderful family, Bilinska." Cerion smiled.
"My name is Marlan, my lord. This is my wife, Naera." the two adults bowed as Cerion stood to his full height.
"Your people need not worry, Marlan. My fleet will lay waste to the Kree, and all enslaved Kyrlorians will be released from the yoke of slavery. For now, you must salvage any weapons you can and defend this position from any stray Kree soldiers." Cerion said reluctantly.
The sorry state of the Kyrlorians made him queasy to ask this of them. These people were not in a state to fight the Kree soldiers, who had super strength and speed. But he was just one man, and despite his great power, he couldn't be in multiple places at once. There were many more ghettos under assault from the Kree, and he was needed there.
"We'll do what we can, Lord Cerion." Marlan said with a low bow.
"You won't be alone. My fleet will dispatch aid to your people in a short while once they complete orbital defences. After that, my ground forces will obliterate the Kree and free the rest of your people. You have my word." Cerion promised.
"We thank you, Lord Cerion. But you must be cautious when you face the Kree governor of this planet. Her name is Faegna. She is a witch with power over the mind and energy. She is a cunning manipulator." Marlan warned.
"Thank you for the information, Marlan." Cerion nodded as he floated into the sky and cast his senses out.
He picked up on a Kree battalion moving towards another Kyrlorian camp a few clicks away behind a row of green hills. Without wasting time, he shot through the air with a sonic boom. He arrived just in time to see the Kree forces reaching the edge of the civilian encampment. He landed on the ground with a bang, kicking up dust and blowing back the closest Kree soldiers with the blast.
A couple of Kree soldiers were quick to react and blasted him with consistent plasma fire using their guns. He projected an energy shield that absorbed the blasts while his suit gave him a Vibranium spear on verbal command. His superspeed allowed him to appear before the two Kree soldiers in the blink of an eye. He slammed them with the spear with full force against their chests, lifting them off their feet and slamming them against the trees. One Kree soldier rushed at him with a vibrosword, but he captured the soldier's forearm in a vice grip. He could feel the Kree warrior exert as much strength against him, but Cerion didn't budge.
"Surprised to encounter someone stronger than you?" Cerion asked with a raised eyebrow.
The Kree let out an angry yell and made to punch his face. But Cerion responded with a headbutt that cracked the skull open of the Kree soldier. With a shower of blue blood, the soldier crumpled to the floor dead. There was an eerie silence in the area as the other Kree soldiers stared at Cerion with fear.
"I offer you this once. Lay down your arms and surrender. If you do that, you'll live." Cerion offered.
"We are the Kree of Hala. We do not surrender." one of the soldiers bellowed, unsheathing a vibrosword.
Seeing this bravado from one of their own, the other Kree soldiers did the same and readied themselves for a fight.
'Okay, then. Thank you for volunteering to test my powers.' Cerion thought as he floated a few feet off the ground and angled his Vibranium spear energised with the Lightforce.
Bright flashes of light filled the forest area as they battled without holding back.
Fifteen minutes later, Cerion watched dispassionately as the Kree battalion lay dead before him, with the exception of a few. Some had their bones broken or even their limbs sliced off by his laser beams. They lay on the ground, unable to make a move and waiting for a swift death, which never came. He saw one stray Kree soldier crawl away towards the Kyrlorian ghetto.
But one intact Kree soldier was in his grasp, trying desperately to claw at Cerion's hold on the Kree's throat.
"A lot of Kree bravery, isn't that so?" Cerion asked, letting out a derisive snort, eyeing the captured Kree leader in his grasp.
Cerion rose high into the air so that he was floating above the tallest trees in the forest while his grip around the Kree soldier's neck remained firm.
"You think you've won? You and your kin will be pummeled to death by the Kree Accusers. Hala will send her strongest fleets and hunt you and your kind across the stars." the Kree soldier choked out while squirming in his grasp.
"They already tried once. I don't think they'd be in a hurry to lose more of their ships and soldiers like last time." Cerion said with a chuckle. "So, have you given any thought about what I asked? Surrender and cooperate with me. If you give valuable intel, I'll make sure to make your stay with us very comfortable."
"Die, Asgardian scum." she Kree spat at him in defiance.
"How often do I have to tell you I'm not Asgardian?" Cerion said in exasperation.
"You know what, I don't even care anymore. You lot are better served as manure for this land." Cerion said with a scowl.
Twin blasts of finely tuned laser beams cut through the head of the Kree soldier in his grasp, killing the blue-skinned soldier instantly. He let go of his hold on the Kree's neck and watched it fall to the ground below. Then he turned his eyes on the lone injured soldier, trying to crawl away undetected. He could see a bunch of Kyrlorians standing guard at the edge of their camp with sticks and stones in their hands, warily looking at him and at the Kree soldier crawling towards them.
'Oh, what the hell? He'll be as useless as the rest of 'em.' Cerion thought.
He threw his spear straight towards the Kree soldier, and it found its mark. A wet squelching sound and a painful grunt were picked up by his sensitive ears once his spear found its mark.
Cerion floated down next to the impaled body of the Kree soldier and pulled the spear out. A simple spin of the spear in his hand shook away the blue blood sticking to its silver surface. He rose to the air and noticed more Kyrlorians coming out of hiding.
"Kyrlorains, you are free from Kree oppression. There is a battalion of decimated Kree soldiers behind this tree line. You'll find weapons that can defend your home." Cerion jabbed his thumb at the row of trees behind him.
But that simple assurance wasn't enough to earn the trust of the enslaved Kyrlorian populace. He had to stay back for a few minutes and convince them to believe his word. When they finally came around and looted the functioning weapons from the Kree, he left the village's defence in their capable hands.
****
Cerion liberated five more villages from the Kree attack and was on his way to the next when Star Killer opened com channels with him.
"Sir, we've finished mining the cislunar space. We're about to launch the landing force once the Sentinels return." Officer Andrew informed him.
"Good. Any update on the fighters sweeping for orbital defence systems?" Cerion asked, floating high in the sky.
"So far, they haven't found anything substantial. But they took out multiple long-range communication installations hidden in between hilltops."
"I see. Anything to report on our recon missions?" Cerion asked.
"We've found some of the major Kree bases, sir. The energy signatures that our sensors picked up from some of them suggest they are bunkers and armouries."
"Very well. Send me an updated map of the continent with markers on these bunkers. I'll see whether I can lend a hand to our fighters in their precision bombing missions."
"Yes, sir. The map should be uploaded into your suit. We'll keep updating it for any changes." said Officer Andrew.
Cerion cut the comms and made himself appear before another Kyrlorian slave camp and proceeded to liberate them. Almost halfway into beating up the minor Kree force sent to decimate the camp, he saw the Star Killer enter C24's atmosphere. The skies darkened, and thunderstorms brewed as the giant ship entered the continent's airspace.
"Those idiots removed the shield for a dramatic entry." Cerion muttered, shaking his head at the antics of his men.
He went back to concentrating on destroying the Kree ground forces in Ernst, leaving the progress of his ground forces in the hands of the marines and cover from Star Killer.
He found himself fighting against a substantial ground force of the Kree military on his next stop. Unlike the previous battles, this Kree force was suitably backed up by powerful artillery, automatic guns, and plasma cannons.
Cerion fired a long beam of white plasma, shattering the ballistic warhead that came his way. He shrugged off the small bolts of plasma or, in some cases, outright dodged them while he rained down a continuous stream of concentrated plasma beams on their cannons and other heavy machinery. Summoning his spear into hand, Cerion threw it straight at the missile silos aiming at him with their missiles. The explosion produced from the destruction of the missile silo rocked the ground and blew the Kree soldiers away.
But the Kree were formidable warriors. They were quick on their feet and engaged him in plasma gunfire in quick order. As Cerion dodged a constant stream of plasma assault, he also gathered the Lightforce into the palms of his hands and shaped the energy into constructs. Once he was suitably prepared, he threw the gathered Lightforce energy at the enemy.
Little bolts of Lightforce punched through the armour of the Kree soldiers with their razor-sharp tips. The rest of their comrades didn't even flinch and continued their assault as if nothing had happened.
Cerion swooped in and punched away a Kree soldier. The Kree soldier flew a full ten metres before getting smashed into a boulder. Another soldier tried a full-body tackle, a new strategy employed by a Kree soldier based on what he had seen so far. While the soldier earned some points for taking a different approach, Cerion was unmoved. The Kree were naturally blessed with super strength and speed, but it was nowhere near his level.
He was still nowhere near Superman-level powers, as he had only five years under his belt as a Kryptonian under a yellow star. But he was near that strength and speed, considering the bright, shining sun in the sky. Therefore, he didn't move an inch from the Kree soldier's tackle. Instead, Cerion slammed his knee into the abdomen of the Kree soldier, lifting him up under the power of his blow. He did a quick spin and slammed his right foot into the Kree's chest, propelling the soldier across the ground and slamming into the burning remains of the missile silo.
He jumped into the burning crater and took back the spar before promptly throwing it into the chest of a Kree soldier, pinning the guy against a troop carrier. A concentrated blast of plasma from his eyes made the carrier explode with a loud bang. The spear jetted out of the carrier upon the vehicle's explosion, which he caught easily in his hand. He made quick work of the remaining Kree soldiers, using his super speed to knock them out and sometimes kill them. After all, their capacity to hold prisoners was minimal.
As Cerion prepared to find the next spot, his ears caught a stray rumbling sound from a few cliffs east. Using his enhanced vision, he picked up on the movement of several troop carriers with Kree soldiers. But didn't do anything as a pair of fighters whistled past his position straight towards the Kree troops. The fighters rained a barrage of plasma bolts on the Kree before one of the fighters dropped a boatload of incendiary bombs on the enemy. The consecutive booming sounds from the area with black smoke bellowed out into the sky were quite a sight to witness. The attack decimated the Kree soldiers, and the fighters took a round before moving to another location.
'Nice timing. Now, let's see where else can I find a few Kree to blow up.' Cerion thought as he took to the skies.
*****
Faegna glared into the open sky as enemy fighters streaked across the sky, raining fire and death upon her people.
"Bring that fighter down." She snarled, pointing a finger at the fighter craft, which dropped a slew of incendiary bombs on her troops trying to mount a proper defence on their mountain stronghold.
The blast from the bombs made her cringe and forced her eyes away as her soldiers were blown to bits or burned away before her eyes.
The artillery piece behind her came alive and began to unload a rapid fire at the fighter. Faegna pursed her lips as she watched the fighter manoeuvre around the energy bolts. The occasional few that came close splashed harmlessly against the shield that flared up around the fighter craft.
Faegna dived out of the way as the fighter made a quick round and opened up its guns on them. She dived behind the cover of a metal door and weathered the return fire while her fellow Kree soldiers opened fire with the artillery and simple blaster guns in their hands. But as usual, it didn't make much difference against a shielded craft. A few more Kree soldiers fell dead under the return fire from the enemy, making her look at the ruins of their mountain base forlornly. If the cowardly enemy hadn't attacked their base from the orbit and caved in the entrance to their base, she'd have taken a fighter from the base and shown these cowards a Kree's true might. Unfortunately, the blast doors were covered in large rocks, making it nearly impossible to get inside.
Even if she found some way to get inside, she wasn't certain what kind of damage befell the base's interior. After the orbital bombardment, there was no communication from the people inside the base. Either the orbital bombardment utterly destroyed the base, or their coms were jammed. She was hedging closer to the first rather than the latter after hours had passed. Her attempts to ascertain the status of her base were in tatters, especially after the enemy started the assault on her base and the surrounding area. She had hoped the enemy would be busy rescuing the Kyrlorians under assault by her soldiers, but somehow, that part of the plan didn't work as well as she hoped.
The ground before her tore open from the cannon fire of the enemy fighters. When the dust settled, she saw the artillery gun remain intact, but the gunner was dead on the ground.
"You! Take the artillery gun and bring that enemy down." she ordered a random soldier while she charged the blaster in her hand and took aim at the enemy craft circling back.
But before her order could be carried out or one more shot could be fired, twin bright red beams sliced through the artillery gun, rendering it useless.
"What!" Faegna gaped at the sudden destruction of the one piece of weapon that could've brought down the enemy.
The ground shook as a man fell from the sky. The ground around the man's feet tore up under the force of impact, kicking up dust and stone.
A Kree soldier immediately opened fire on the man with his blaster but to no avail. The body armour on the man simply absorbed the bolts of energy, and the man threw a punch that lifted the Kree soldier off his feet and blew him away from the mountain in the blink of an eye. As the other soldiers rushed towards the enemy with battle cries, Faegna held back and observed from a safe distance. She didn't climb through the Kree ranks by her sheer strength alone. She knew when to fight and when to stand back from a fight.
Observing the fight that was unfolding before her eyes, she knew there was nothing that could be done.
The silver armoured man was toying with her soldiers. The ease with which the man was striking down her soldiers showed that he was no ordinary creature. The Kree were blessed with speed and strength, allowing them to dominate most races in the known universe. But their enemy was easily stopping their attacks and dispatching them faster.
'This is no Xandarian. This is an Asgardian or one of the many gods that inhabits the universe.' Faegna thought with a grimace.
When the enemy kicked away the last Kree soldier from the mountain, she dropped the weapons in her hand and raised her hands in surrender. Her eyes fell on the screaming Kree soldier who was falling down the cliff until the screaming stopped altogether.
"I surrender." Faegna managed to say with gritted teeth, staring into the stormy grey eyes of the enemy.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Faegna, governor of this outpost appointed by the Kree High Council."
"Are you the highest-ranking officer of all Free forces on this planet?"
"I am." she answered briskly while preparing herself to assault the enemy's mind.
"Order your forces to surrender and disarm themselves. If they don't, they'll be treated as hostiles and dealt with extreme prejudice."
Faegna gulped when she saw the enemy's eyes glow amber-red, making the air sizzle with heat. The power she could feel at that moment was overwhelming, and her own psionic powers fizzled out as fear set in her mind.
'Not now. I'll lose.' Faegna thought, gulping in fear.
She activated the comms on her forearm, establishing a channel to her fellow Kree warriors.
"This is Governor Faegna speaking. All Kree forces are to disarm themselves and offer surrender."
"Good move." the glowing red around the enemy's eyes dimmed, "My name is Cerion Vex, and I accept your surrender."
AN:
To read ahead of the update schedule; pat(r) eon. C (O) M/Dragonspectre.
For artwork related to the fic:
https://discord.gg/Nw2JH25fJf