The female reptoid instantly attacked Isaac, punching him across the underground parking lot. As she focused her attention on him, Erika's eyes glowed blue. She launched water at her. However, the water had so much power that it cut like a knife.
It seemed like Erika imagined a gun while shooting the water from her fingers. The reptoid avoided as best she could and hid behind a pillar. She had gotten hit in the back.
"Even water can cut like a knife if you're good enough!"
Isaac found himself on the floor. The car into which he had collided had a big dent. He stood up as his wounds had already healed.
"Where is she?"
Erika pointed at the pillar while saying simultaneously, "I've lost track of her…" to attack the reptoid by surprise.
"They don't know where I am… That woman is strong, so I'll need to play it safe-"
However, Isaac launched a red magic beam, breaking the pillar and shattering her body into pieces despite all her sturdy scales.
"We need to leave. Now!" Erika ran towards the entrance. Isaac followed her.
"Watch out!" Isaac noticed another reptoid going towards Erika.
-Pah!
Erika fell to the ground as he hit her back, breaking her spine. The male reptoid aimed his hand cannon at her. He was about to fire when Isaac threw a red orb, sticking onto the enemy's hand.
"Huh?" It glowed more and more before exploding on his hand. The explosion wasn't very potent, but just enough to break his fingers and handgun.
Despite the excruciating pain, Erika got on her feet and attacked him. The man narrowly avoided her water attacks.
Isaac had finished preparing. "Get back!"
Erika launched herself away with water streams as Isaac shot a red magic beam toward the reptoid. It would have been enough to kill him if another reptoid hadn't intervened, pulling him away from certain death.
"Let's attack together," said the new reptoid. The male reptoid was much taller than the two others. His muscles seemed artificial, and his scales were like metal armour.
Erika was shocked. She couldn't move yet because of the pain.
-Slice!
"What?" She gasped.
A knife had penetrated her chest. She felt another reptoid's breath against her hair. It came from behind. "There were more?…"
Isaac stared at her. The blue glow in Erika's eyes slowly watered down. He felt her soul leaving her body. She was dead.
The three reptoids approached him. The one in the middle was tougher, rougher than the two others. He was the taller one. The two by his side had lighter builds. They were quick on their feet.
Extending his two arms, Isaac didn't hesitate to attack the sturdier one, firing red magic with optimal mana control. The beam was a direct hit. Its radius was big; even the two others had to dodge. Yet the strong reptoid remained still. Once the red mist from Isaac's attack cleared, Isaac realized he was unscathed.
Isaac cursed at the big reptoid and summoned two spears while running away. Once he had enough distance, he launched them towards him. They shattered instantly upon hitting the monster's scales. He cast another beam as a follow-up attack, but it was useless.
The lighter reptoids were closing in. Only one had a knife. Isaac summoned a red-magic shield to block the stab, but the other reptoid kicked his stomach.
"Come on, get up, kid." The man in the back laughed as he approached Isaac.
'I can't use electricity magic anymore, and my red magic isn't strong enough…' Isaac coughed up blood. 'My internal injury will take a while to heal. I need to buy some time. '
"What do you guys want?! You were hiding during all the rebel attacks, so why are you appearing now?!"
"We have nothing to discuss with you, kid." The reptoid took a few more steps.
Isaac closed his eyes. 'I didn't want to use it already, but-'
"What's the matter? You're giving up?"
The reptoid was one metre away. 'Now!'
As Isaac opened his eyes, a red aura enveloped him. He felt like the red magic within him was about to burst. His senses were diluting, and his mana was draining rapidly. He used up hundreds of mana points in an instant.
"What is this?!" The giant stepped away. "Quickly. kill him!"
The two others were about to strike at Isaac when he gave them an intimidating look. A moment later, raising his finger, Isaac had made a crater in the parking lot's solid floor. Even support pillars were broken. He had launched another beam. It was tens of times more powerful than before.
The remaining reptoid was stunned, only regaining his senses after Isaac gave him a cold, threatening gaze.
"Ah!"
He evaded the second attack. It was just as deadly; Isaac had carved another lengthy stretch in the floor. More support pillars fell, and a car even exploded.
"RAH!" Isaac jumped at the reptoid, summoning a giant spear. However, it was a feint as he used his other hand to launch a third beam, again destroying the parking lot.
This time, the reptoid had fallen on his knees. If he had clothes, they'd have all burned down. His scales had become black, burnt. There were grey cinders and ash all over the floor. The reptoid dropped flat on the hot surface without the energy to get up.
"I got him. Plus, I managed to keep my cool." Isaac was proud. Much like when he was in the soul transportation machine, he hadn't lost control of his body despite pushing his magic to the limit.
"Fool, you killed us both." The reptoid was still breathing as he looked at the ceiling.
As Isaac had broken the support pillars, it didn't take long for the underground parking lot's ceiling to collapse on him.
…
"I have located where the event took place." Said Stephen's subordinate, Sophie. "They weren't hiding it much, though. It's a prison in the second layer. The rebels who got killed had been missing since yesterday. The prisoners in there are all rebels of other movements in the past. We aren't the first to start a rebellion in the Obscure Guild, but the others didn't pose any real threats to the government."
Stephen lightly tapped his desk with his index finger. "Gather people. Only the quickest vampires, the late Raphael Vanthorn's masked vampires."
"What's the goal?"
"To find the fake Gabriella Rivampe and the other reptoids."
"Sneaking in will not work. There are magic sensors."
"Yes, it'll be a diversion."
"A diversion?" Sophie was curious.
"No one will care if a few vampires who attempted to kill their queen were to die or go missing suddenly. If the reptoids want to trap us, they'll focus on them. They'll have to put a lot of force to stop these vampires from breaking in. I hope the masked vampires manage to free the prisoners before dying."
"Okay, but what is the diversion for?"
Stephen Cure smiled lightly. "Tracking other reptoids. Whether or not the vampires win the battle, we'll arrange for them to run down the prison. The reptoids are bound to leave after that. We'll trace them to their homes or wherever they are. Put Gabriella Rivampe in charge of the tracking."
Stephen looked outside his window. "If our vampires can't free the prisoners, it will be troublesome. Tell Micky to prepare a bomb which we could sneak in."
"Wait, Stephen. I understand casualties are inevitable sometimes, but do you intend to kill the prisoners?!" Sophie's pupils dilated.
"We need to get the reptoids out of hiding no matter the cost, but I hope it won't come to this. These rebel prisoners could prove useful."
"Should I ask Scott to send his robotic ants inside the prison before the operation?"
"Yes, we need to know what they're planning. The ants will also be useful for tracking the transformed Reptoids. Also, I need to see Micky and Scott ASAP."